VOA慢速英语--移民们希望成为拜登政府合法公民

President Biden has quickly moved to change U.S. immigration policy.

Biden signed executive orders related to immigration on his first day in office. Among the orders is one that stops work on a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Another ends a travel ban on people from several mostly Muslim countries. Biden also has ordered his Cabinet to work on ways to prevent the deportation¹, or removal from the country, of people brought to the U.S. as children.

In addition, Biden said he wants to develop a plan to give citizenship² to about 11 million people without legal status in the United States.

"This sets a new narrative³, moving us away from being seen as criminals and people on the public charge," said Yanira Arias⁴. It opens the door for us to one day become Americans, she said.

Arias is a Salvadoran immigrant with Temporary Protected Status. It is given to people who are temporarily prevented from returning to their countries safely. Arias lives in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. She is among about 400,000 people given special status after fleeing violence or natural disasters.

Arias is also a leader of national campaigns for Alianza Americas, an immigrant advocacy group.

The most recent attempts at immigration reform have not succeeded. They happened in 2007 under former President George W. Bush and in 2013 under former President Barack Obama.

Ofelia Aguilar watched Biden take office and give a speech on television with four other women farmworkers in Homestead, Florida. She said she believed immigration reform was possible.

"There is hope!" Aguilar cried out after Biden was sworn in. "So many people have suffered," she said.

Aguilar was pregnant and alone when she came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1993. She was a farm worker for years before starting her own business farming jicama root.

Some of the farm workers at the small gathering⁵ said they were saddened that Biden did not talk about immigration in his speech.

"I have faith in God, not in presidents," said Sofía Hernández. She is a farmworker who has lived in the United States without legal status since 1989.

Hernandez came from Mexico seeking economic opportunity. Her three children were born in the U.S. and she would send money to her family back home before her parents died.

"My dream is to go and see my family and come back to stay with my children," Hernandez said.

In New York, Blanca Cedillos said she also was unhappy that Biden did not talk about immigration. She watched the speech with six other immigrants at the Workers Justice Project, a nonprofit organization.

The Salvadoran woman lost her job taking care of children during the coronavirus pandemic. Now, she cleans houses and gets food donations from a nonprofit that serves immigrants.

Cedillos has lived in the U.S. without legal documents for 18 years. She hopes to one day visit her four children in Central America, then return legally to the U.S.

Building worker Gustavo Ajché watched a Spanish language broadcast of Biden's speech with Cedillos. Ajché came to the U.S. from Guatemala in 2004.

"I don't want to get too excited because I might get frustrated⁶ afterward," Ajché said. "I have been here many years. I have paid my taxes. I am hoping something will be done."

Tony Valdovinos is a campaign advisor⁷ in Phoenix⁸, Arizona. He said he is not celebrating. He is among those in the Deferred⁹ Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. The program protects immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from being deported¹⁰. "It's hard to put your heart into it when these things have failed in the past," he said.

Maria Rodriguez is director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition¹¹ in Miami.

"I'm so happy and relieved, but we are still afraid of getting our hearts broken again," she said. "We've been through this so many times."

Los Angeles janitor¹² Anabella Aguirre thinks about her daughters and herself. Both daughters are in the DACA program and now starting jobs.

"Like thousands of mothers and fathers, I want for my daughters to have something better in this country," Aguirre said.

Words in This Story

narrative –n. a story or way of talking about something

status –n. a state of being often in relation to the law

advocacy -–n. to act in support of a cause or proposal

jicama –n. a root vegetable similar to a potato or turnip¹³

opportunity –n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

frustrated –adj. unhappy or angry because you cannot do what you want

relieved –adj. feeling better because things are easier now

janitor –n. a person who cleans a building

1 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

2 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

3 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

4 arias   

n.咏叹调( aria的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Can you pick out the operatic arias quoted in this orchestral passage? 你能听出这段管弦乐曲里有歌剧式的咏叹调吗？ 来自辞典例句
• The actions are large and colour, there are arias and recitatives. 动作夸张而华美，有唱段也有宣叙部。 来自辞典例句

5 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

6 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

8 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

9 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

10 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

12 janitor   

n.看门人，管门人

参考例句：

• The janitor wiped on the windows with his rags.看门人用褴褛的衣服擦着窗户。
• The janitor swept the floors and locked up the building every night.那个看门人每天晚上负责打扫大楼的地板和锁门。

13 turnip   

n.萝卜，芜菁

参考例句：

• The turnip provides nutrition for you.芜菁为你提供营养。
• A turnip is a root vegetable.芜菁是根茎类植物。