VOA慢速英语2018 研究称美国非法移民数量降至十年最低点（在线收听）

Study: Undocumented Immigrants in US Reached Ten-Year Low

On Tuesday, the Pew Research Center reported that the number of immigrants staying in the United States without permission fell to a ten-year low in 2016. Researchers used government data to show that from 2007 to 2016, the number of undocumented immigrants dropped from 12.2 million to 10.7 million.

周二，皮尤研究中心报告称，2016年非法滞留美国的移民人数下降到了10年的最低点。研究人员采用的政府数据显示，从2007年到2016年，非法移民人数从1220万下降到了1070万。

Pew linked the decrease to a large reduction in the number of Mexicans crossing the U.S. border illegally.

皮尤研究中心将这种下降与墨西哥人非法越境数量大幅下降联系了起来。

However, the number of immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras trying to cross over from Mexico illegally was up. Central America is the only region for which there was an increase in undocumented immigrants during the period of the study.

然而，试图从墨西哥非法越境的萨尔瓦多、危地马拉和洪都拉斯移民人数有所上升。在这项研究期间，中美洲是唯一一个非法移民人数增加的地区。

Arrests of Central Americans at the U.S.-Mexico border have also risen. But Pew researchers said arrests remained well below their highest number in 2014.

中美洲人在美墨边境被逮捕的数量也有所上升。但是皮尤研究中心的研究人员表示，逮捕人数还是远远低于2014年的最高点。

Most unauthorized immigrants overstayed their visas

大多数非法移民签证到期后逾期居留

Researchers found that two-thirds of adult unauthorized immigrants have lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years. Most unauthorized immigrants enter the U.S. on legal visas and remain after their visas reach the end of the period of stay they permit.

研究人员发现，三分之二的成年非法移民已经在美国生活了十多年。大多数非法移民通过合法签证进入美国，并且在签证允许停留期到期后继续留在美国。

The latest overstay report showed that more than 700,000 holders of visas whose time limits had been reached should have left in the 2017 fiscal year. Pew said 90 percent of overstays were from countries other than Mexico or Central America.

最新的逾期居留报告显示，2017财年，有超过70万签证已到期的人员应该离开美国。皮尤研究中心表示，90%的签证逾期居留者都来自墨西哥或中美洲国家。

Deportations

驱逐非法移民

Pew noted that forced expulsions – called deportations – of undocumented immigrants rose during the years when George W. Bush and Barack Obama were president. Deportations reached their highest point in 2013. These deportations could have affected the decrease in the undocumented population.

皮尤研究中心指出，在小布什和奥巴马担任总统期间，强制驱逐出境的无证移民人数有所上升。驱逐出境人数在2013年达到了最高点。驱逐出境可能影响到了无证移民的下降。

In the fiscal year 2016, most deportations were of people from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.

在2016财年，大多数人驱逐出境者都来自墨西哥、危地马拉、萨尔瓦多和洪都拉斯。

The report showed that based on limited data, deportations appear to have declined since then. It also shows a decline in those arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as an increase in those arrested inside the United States.

该报告显示，基于有限的数据，驱逐出境人数似乎从那时起就开始下降。数据还显示，美墨边境被逮捕的人数也有所下降，而在美国境内被逮捕的人数有所增加。

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

region – n. a part of a country or of the world that is different or separate from other parts in some way

unauthorized – adj. without permission

visa(s) – n. an official mark or stamp on a passport that allows someone to enter or leave a country usually for a particular reason

fiscal year – n. a 12-month period used by a government, business, or organization to calculate how much money is being earned and spent

deportation(s) – n. to force a person who is not a citizen to leave a country