VOA常速英语2014--美国商界领袖呼吁移民改革（在线收听）

US Business Leaders Argue for Immigration Reform 美国商界领袖呼吁移民改革

HOUSTON—

U.S. President Barack Obama’s proposed comprehensive immigration reform remains stalled in a politically divided Congress, but business leaders around the country say immigration reform is needed to keep the economy growing. The situation was the focus of a recent business forum in Houston.

In recent years, thousands of the world’s best and brightest people have been denied H1-B visas that are issued to immigrants with special skills or education.

最近几年，数千名全世界最优秀、最聪明的人才在申请颁发给具备特殊技能或教育资历移民的H1-B签证时被拒。

Former governor of New Mexico and U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson says the system needs to change, “so that skilled workers, engineers, computer specialists that are here on student visas, can stay and create jobs in the American economy."

新墨西哥州州长兼美国能源部长比尔·理查德森称需要改变制度，“这样拥有学生签证的技能工人、工程师能流下来并为美国经济制造工作机会。”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations favor a large expansion of H1-B visas especially for talented people from around the world who study at U.S. universities on student visas, but cannot stay after they graduate.

美国商务部和其他商业组织支持大力增加H1-B签发，尤其是针对来自全世界各地拥有学生签证，但无法在毕业后留下来的留学生。

The ones who do stay are in high demand, according to Massey Villareal, president of Precision Task Group in Houston.

休斯顿Precision Task Group总裁梅西·维拉里尔说，留下来的学生很抢手。

“We spend over $30,000 a month just on recruiting costs, just trying to find these employees, so my clients are asking for highly qualified skill sets that I have a hard time finding, and then when I find them, my competitor offers them $10,000 a year more and they are gone," said Villareal.

“我们每月在招募上就要花费三万美元，只是为了寻找这样的雇员，所以我的客户们都在寻找有高水平技能的人，我苦苦寻找这些人，我的竞争者给他们每年一万多美金，但他们却离开了

Last year, 172,000 petitions for H1-B visas were filed, but current law allows for only 85,000 each year.

去年，有17.2万人申请H1-B签证，但目前法律只允许每年批准8.5万个。

Attorney Charles Foster headed a task force on immigration for the Greater Houston Partnership.

大法官查理·福斯特是大休斯敦商会移民工作组负责人。

“It is a dysfunctional system; one day a year you can petition for the brightest people in the world, and then you have a 30 percent chance," he said.

“这个系统已经失灵，你可以为全世界最聪明的人才进行请愿，这样有30%的机会。”

Many pro-reform business executives are Republicans, but Foster says the party’s immigration policy is controlled by the Tea Party movement.

很多支持改革的商业总裁都是共和党人，但福斯特说该党的移民政策为茶党运动控制。

“Their anger, their opposition, is mostly based upon rumor and anecdotal stuff that has little to do with the truth. When you get before them and explain what real immigration reform means, they have a very different position," he said.

“他们的愤怒和反对在很大程度上基于流言和道听途说的东西，与事实几乎没有多少关系。然后你走上前去解释真正的移民改革意味着什么，他们就会改变立场。”

Still, most conservatives remain opposed on principle to any reform that would provide what they see as amnesty for people who entered the country illegally.

不过大多数保守派仍反对任何将提供在他们看来为非法进入美国者提供避难的改革原则。

Bill Richardson, a Democrat, says his party is right to insist on legalization, as well as a pathway to citizenship.

民主党比尔·理查德森说本党在坚持合法化和获得公民资格途径上是正确的。

“We need to bring the 11 million undocumented workers that are currently in this country out of the shadows; make them productive players in the U.S. economy," he said.

“我们需要帮助目前美国1100万非法移民走出阴影，让他们在美国经济中发挥创造性作用。”

Republicans in Congress favor a bill that would increase the number of H1-B visas for skilled workers and leave the larger reform package for later.

国会中的共和党人支持将增加技术工人H1-B签证数量的法案，并将更大的改革方案推迟。

But Democrats reject that, saying it should be part of an overall reform that would open the door to citizenship to those living here illegally, and that stalemate, according to studies done by business groups, is costing the nation tens of thousands of jobs as well as a more competitive edge in the world economy.

但民主党反对这么做，称这为非法拘留者获得公民资格打开大门，且根据商业组织的研究，这样的僵局使得美国损失成千上万就业岗位，并影响其在世界经济中获得更具竞争性的优势。