VOA标准英语2011--Immigration Remains Hot Topic in US Politics

Immigration Remains¹ Hot Topic in US Politics

In the 2012 presidential elections in the United States, Hispanics could play a larger role than ever in determining who will occupy the White House. They are the fastest growing voting group in the nation. Many Latinos are watching closely how the presidential candidates view the issue of immigration in the U.S. In California, legislators recently passed a law providing financial aid for students who are illegal immigrants.

“I was born in Mexico, Jalisco. I came to the U.S. at the age of two,” said Nancy Meza, whose story is not uncommon². Her mother brought her to the U.S. to get an education.

“Me and my mom came undocumented through the desert. I consider myself an American and all I’m missing is a piece of paper,” she said.

Meza just graduated from the university and is considering either graduate or law school. Her plans just got a little easier a few months ago, when California passed the Dream Act, a law that makes students who are not in the U.S. legally eligible³ for financial aid at public universities within the state.

“Definitely the passage of the California Dream act opens up those doors for us to be able to compete. That’s what we’ve always wanted,” Meza said.

An estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S., of which two million are youth and students says Kent Wong, director of the University of California Los Angeles Labor⁴ Center. Only three states in the U.S. allow illegal immigrants to qualify for financial aid in state universities.

“These children broke no laws. They’ve done everything our society have asked them to do. They worked hard. They’ve studied hard. They’ve stayed in school. They’re entering college. and so we’re punishing them for something they have absolutely no control,” Wong said.

A Federal Dream Act failed in the Senate last year. It would have created a pathway to citizenship⁵ for qualifying illegal immigrants. Again, Kent Wong:

“The reality is that because the majority are from Latin America and Asia there is a strong reaction from older conservative white members of Congress who fear the integration⁶ of students of color within our society,” Wong said.

But Republican strategist, Luis Alvarado says the views of many Democrats⁷ and Republicans are not that different. He says many Republicans and Latinos prefer immigration reform to be on the national level because states such as California cannot afford to have their own immigration policy.

“All you need to do is go to LA county hospitals emergency room and find out who is actually utilizing⁸ those services there it’s a reality that there is a burden placed upon society because this issue has not been resolved. A solution is very complex; the reality is we’re not going to have a solution until we actually find out who the next president of the United States is,” Alvarado said.

Even among the Republican candidates, who want to run against President Obama in 2012, there are differences of opinion. Some say the solution is to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border while others want to find a way to give legal status to the illegal immigrants who are already in the U.S. Luis Alvarado says Republicans and Democrats need to work together and not delay any longer in finding a solution for immigration.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

3 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 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。

6 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 utilizing   

v.利用，使用( utilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Utilizing an assembler to produce a machine-language program. 用汇编程序产生机器语言的过程。 来自辞典例句
• The study and use of devices utilizing properties of materials near absolute zero in temperature. 对材料在接近绝对零度时的特性进行研究和利用的学科。 来自辞典例句