VOA慢速英语--墨西哥移民群体向美国边境挺进

Migrant Group in Mexico Pushes on Toward¹ US Border

A large group of Central Americans is continuing toward Mexico City from the south in an effort to reach the United States.

The group is trying to leave a part of Mexico that has been considered dangerous for traveling migrants.

Members of the group held a meeting Sunday at a gymnasium² in the city of Cordoba. About 1,000 members voted to try to reach the capital, Mexico City, by walking and asking for rides on Monday.

Cordoba is 286 kilometers from the capital by the shortest path. The trip would be the group’s longest one-day journey since the group began walking more than three weeks ago.

Several hundred other migrants have already arrived at a large outdoor sports area in the capital. They rested and watched local people play soccer. City employees offered hot food to the migrants.

The migrants made it to Cordoba after a 200-kilometer trip through the state of Veracruz. Hundreds of migrants have disappeared there in recent years. Many have been taken by kidnappers³ who demand money for their release⁴.

The migrants hope to gather together in Mexico City to seek medical care and wait for stragglers. The group has grown in numbers as it moves north. Mexicans in small villages have come out to offer food, water and clean clothes.

It is unclear where along the U.S. border the caravan⁵ will arrive or how many people will leave the group to cross on their own.

Most of the migrants said they believe traveling in a large group is the best way to reach the U.S. The migrants say they are fleeing poverty and violence in Central American countries. They come from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.

“We think that it is better to continue together with the caravan. We are going to stay with it and respect the organizers,” said Luis Euseda, a 32-year-old from Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Forty-two-year-old Yuri Juarez said he knows there is a “very low” chance he will get asylum⁶ in the U.S. But he said there is no work in his hometown of Villanueva, Guatemala. There, he closed his internet cafe after a criminal group demanded money of him, robbed his customers and finally stole his computers.

Mexicans have helped the migrants on their way, although the government has tried to discourage them.

Catalina Munoz said she bought food on credit⁷ when she heard the migrant caravan would pass through her town of 3,000 people. She and 15 others gave the food to the migrants.

Mexican officials say three separate migrant groups are traveling through 500 kilometers of roads in the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz.

The largest group entered Mexico first. It was followed by a second group of about 1,000 people who came from Guatemala last week. A third group of about the same size entered the country on Friday.

President Donald Trump⁸ has ordered U.S. troops to the Mexican border because of the migrant groups. He will send more than 7,000 soldiers to the border states of Texas, Arizona and California.

I’m Caty Weaver⁹.

Words in This Story

caravan – n. a large group of people moving somewhere together

gymnasium – n. a large indoor room for sports

journey – n. a trip

straggler – n. one who is at the very end of the line

discourage – v. to make someone less hopeful

1 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

2 gymnasium   

n.体育馆，健身房

参考例句：

• Our school has a big gymnasium.我们学校有座大型体育馆。
• The game will be staged in the gymnasium.竞赛将在体育馆举行。

3 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 release   

vt.发布，发表，发行；释放，放开

参考例句：

• After my examination I had a feeling of release.考完试后我有如释重负之感。
• This medicine will give you release from pain.这药吃后会解除你的疼痛。

5 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

6 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

7 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。