VOA标准英语2014--Future Uncertain for Asian Immigrants Facing Deportation in US

 

Future Uncertain for Asian Immigrants Facing Deportation¹ in US

LOS ANGELES—

One group often overlooked in the U.S. immigration debate is the estimated 1.3 million illegal immigrants from Asia. President Barack Obama’s recent executive order can provide a temporary reprieve² from deportation to about 400,000 of those people, but for many more, the future is uncertain.

One such person is high school student Peter Liu in Los Angeles.  He left China for the U.S. because there was illness in his family and they were struggling financially.  He decided³ to overstay his tourist visa.

Liu said it was a difficult decision, because he knew he probably wouldn't be able to see his family for many years. Now, as an undocumented immigrant, he is unable to work and worries about paying for college.   

Obama’s executive order does not help him, because he arrived after the cutoff date for deferred⁴ action for childhood arrivals.  Liu said that even many of those who do qualify for temporary relief from deportation are hesitant to apply, because they are worried about how such an action will affect their families.

One of the main objectives of Obama’s executive order is to keep families together by deferring⁵ the threat of deportation for illegal immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and have children who are legally in the U.S. The executive action also allows them to work legally.

However, those considered threats to security or who have criminal records will continue to face deportation.

'I made a lot of mistakes'

Cambodian refugee David Ros falls into that category. At 16, he killed a man and spent almost 19 years in prison. Because of that, he lost his permanent residency status and now awaits deportation.

“I came here to this country with no English, no education, no money, and we struggled a lot," Ros said, "and as a result of our struggles I made a lot of mistakes in my life.”

According to Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Asian Law Caucus⁶, a legal and civil rights organization serving low-income Asian and Pacific American communities, Southeast Asians and Pacific Islanders are deported⁷ for criminal convictions at five times the rate of other immigrants.

National Immigration Law Center attorney Shiu-Ming Cheer said the reasons for this are complicated. She cited the failure of refugee resettlement policies and the fact that so many Southeast Asians live in communities where there’s already a high rate of crime.

"There’s just a lack of support, a lack of social networks and institutions that might help give people options besides engaging in crime,” she said.

On solid footing

Cheer said many of these Southeast Asians have turned their lives around after serving time in prison, including Ros. He now has a job, supports a family with two children, and volunteers. He hopes the law would change so a judge can decide who, with a criminal record, gets deported.

“Bringing judiciary discretion⁸ back would be something that is the first step," he said, "because the judge can make a decision on the merit of the person — not who the person was but who the person is today.”

Both Ros and Liu said they were speaking out despite the risk of deportation in the hope that lawmakers would hear their story and reform the immigration system in their favor.

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 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 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

5 deferring   

v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的现在分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• Recently, the Supreme Court has focused on an additional reason for deferring to administrative agencies. 最近，最高法院强调了尊重行政机构的另一种理由。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Think of it as deferring part of the compiler's job to runtime. 可以认为这是将编译器的部分工作延迟到了运行时。 来自互联网

6 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

7 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》

8 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。