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美国边界危机增加移民改革阻力

A majority of Americans still support some form of legalization for undocumented immigrants who are already in the country, but opposition¹ to outright² amnesty is growing, along with support for stronger border security, according to the latest public opinion polls.

今年早些时候，大量中美洲国家儿童开始试图越境进入美国。自那时起，美国公众对非法移民的担忧日渐加深。虽然大多数美国人仍旧支持对已经在美国的非法移民进行某种形式的合法化，但是反对全部赦免非法移民、要求加强边境安全的呼声也越来越高。

In the last year, amnesty rumors³ have prompted tens of thousands of Central American children to try to enter the U.S. illegally in an effort to escape poverty and gang violence at home. This surge of migrant minors⁴ has at times overwhelmed detention⁵ facilities and the judicial⁶ system that must review each case.

去年，有关赦免非法移民的谣传促使上千名中美洲儿童试图非法进入美国，以逃离自己国家的贫困与黑帮暴力。大量涌入的未成年非法移民使美国边境的拘留场所和审查移民案件的司法系统不堪重负。

Opponents of current immigration reform efforts say this humanitarian⁷ crisis is also sparking public anger.

反对目前这轮移民改革的人说，这场人道危机同样引发了公众愤怒。鲍伯?丹尼是美国移民改革联盟的成员。

“I think it is the straw that broke the camel’s back," said Bob Dane, who is with the Federation⁸ for American Immigration Reform. "This current surge of unaccompanied minors is proof positive that what we’ve been told, that the border is secure, isn’t true. In fact, its proof positive that the problem is getting worse and the public is upset.”

美国移民改革联盟鲍伯?丹尼说：“我认为这是压在骆驼身上的最后一根稻草。目前大量涌入的没有成年人陪伴的未成年人恰恰证明‘边界是安全的’这一说法并非事实。实际上，问题变得更糟，公众感到不安。”

Public opinion polls do show a shift in American attitudes toward immigration policy, according to Mark Hugo Lopez, with the Pew Research Center.

皮尤研究中心的马克?雨果?洛佩斯说，民意调查确实显示了美国对移民政策态度的转变。

“Certainly it seems there has been some movement and opinion, particularly among Republicans, away from supporting legalization," he said. "But at the same time [there is] a growing share of Americans -- Republicans, Democrats⁹ and Independents -- who say that it is important that some sort of significant new legislation pass.”

洛佩斯说：“确实有一些运动和意见不支持合法化，尤其在共和党人中间。但是同时也有越来越多的美国人，包括共和党人、民主党人和无党派人士，他们认为通过某种有效的新移民法比较重要。”

While a majority of Americans may support immigration reform, the conservative Tea Party wing of the Republican Party has been able to block any legislation on this issue.

大多数美国人或许支持移民改革，但是共和党内的茶党一派一直能够阻挠任何移民法案的通过。托马斯?曼是布鲁金斯学会的研究美国国会的学者。

“There is a very strong nativist sentiment afoot, reflected certainly in the Tea Party but many other conservatives as well, and they’re the ones important in House constituencies, and that’s really why we haven’t been able to take any action,” said Thomas Mann, a congressional scholar at The Brookings Institution.

布鲁金斯学会托马斯?曼说：“茶党和许多其他保守派人士表现出很强的本土主义情绪。他们在众议院势力很强，这也是我们无法采取任何行动的原因。”

Immigration opponents accuse President Obama of poorly managing the border and of creating an expectation of amnesty when he issued an executive order to end deportation¹⁰ of young immigrants already living in the U.S. Dane says these will be key issues in this year’s congressional elections.

反对移民的人指责奥巴马总统管理边界不力。他们说，他签发的不再遣返已在美国生活的未成年移民的行政命令，使一些人产生了特赦的希望。丹尼说，这些问题将会成为今年美国国会选举的关键问题。

“I would not want to be a candidate this year without a clear and concise¹¹ answer, that I would expect from the public, on why we have an immigration crisis and what you intend to do about it,” he said.

美国移民改革联盟的丹尼说：“我如果在为什么会有移民危机以及怎样处理这个危机的问题上没有公众所期待的答案，我就不会参选。”

While most Americans still support immigration reform, they now also say stopping the flow of undocumented immigrants should be the government’s top priority.

虽然大多数美国人仍然支持移民改革，但是他们现在也认为阻止继续涌入的非法移民应当是政府的首要任务。