VOA慢速英语2021--The Year in Migration So Far

People face cold, hunger and danger when they flee their countries. They risk their lives to escape conditions such as poverty and war.

About 4.2 million people around the world were reported as stateless, or not belonging to any country, at the end of 2020. But the United Nations refugee agency estimates that the true number is much higher.

Here is a look at some of the struggles people leaving their homelands have faced in 2021 so far.

January

In January, people in Bosnia took shelter in abandoned buildings near the town of Bihac. Some were fleeing conflict in Afghanistan. They tried to stay warm as they lined up to reach European Union-member Croatia across the border.

February

In February, police in Spain's North African territory of Melilla rescued people hiding in waste containers as they tried to make their way to the mainland of Spain.

And, the German ship named Sea-Watch rescued more than 360 people from small boats off the Libyan coast. The central Mediterranean¹ migration² path, south of the Sahara Desert, to Italy is considered one of the world's deadliest.

March

In March, worsening security and economic conditions in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador led to the biggest rise in the number of migrants at the United States' southwestern border in 20 years. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials dealt with 173,281 people from the southwestern border in March. The administration of President Joe Biden also attempted to deal with large numbers of children trying to cross the border alone.

May

In May, Spain deployed³ troops to the Spanish territory of Ceuta in northern Africa. The troops guarded the country's border with Morocco after around 8,000 people crossed by swimming in or climbing over a barrier.

Around two-thirds of the people who made it to Ceuta, including children who arrived alone, were expelled by Spanish officials. But many said they would try again to reach Europe.

June

In June, thousands of Belarusians fled to Poland after a political crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko. Nearly 10,000 Belarusians registered for humanitarian⁴ visas or asylum⁵ in the past year.

Lukashenko, who has held power since 1994, won another election in 2020. Months of protests followed. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested for expressing their opposition⁶ to Lukashenko.

July

In July, Afghans who walked through Iran for weeks arrived at the Turkish border to face a three-meter-high wall and other barriers. Turkish officials strengthened their efforts to block refugees from entering the country. Turkey detained 1,500 people near the Iranian border in a week, as violence rose in Afghanistan.

August

In August, Greece completed a 40-kilometer fence, guarded by soldiers, on its border with Turkey. The barrier was built to stop asylum seekers from trying to reach Europe after the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

September

And, this month, more than 12,000 Haitians and others crossed the Rio Grande River from Mexico where they were living in a camp under a bridge in southern Texas. They were joined by people from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Hundreds more continued to come to the border, leading to a humanitarian and political crisis for President Biden.

U.S. officials began flying the Haitians in Texas, who entered the country without permission, back to their homeland. The operation may be the start of the county's largest expulsion of migrants or refugees in many years.

Words in This Story

migrant –n. a person who goes from one place to another especially to find work

crackdown –n. a serious attempt to punish people for doing something that is not permitted; an increased effort to enforce a law or rule

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

3 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 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。

6 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。