VOA慢速英语2021 官员就抵达美国边境的移民潮展开争论（在线收听）

U.S. officials are struggling with the problem of thousands of Central American migrants arriving at the southern U.S. border and seeking entry. Many are children who do not have a parent with them.

美国官员正在努力应对抵达美国南部边境并寻求入境的数千名中美洲移民。其中多数移民是是没有父母陪伴的儿童。

Democratic Party members in the U.S. House of Representatives say they are "trying to fix a broken system" left behind by the administration of former President Donald Trump.

美国众议院民主党议员表示，他们正在“试图修复前总统特朗普的政府遗留的破损系统”。

The leaders of the Republican Party in the House say President Joe Biden's administration created a new crisis. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives called what is going on "a Biden border crisis."

众议院共和党领袖则表示，拜登政府制造了一场新的危机。众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡称目前发生的是“拜登边境危机”。

The Biden administration wants to call what is going on "a challenge."

拜登政府想将正在发生的事情称为“挑战”。

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, said it is a "humanitarian crisis."

众议院议长南希·佩洛西表示，这是一场“人道主义危机”。

Even Trump is talking about it, saying Biden's administration was "recklessly eliminating our border."

特朗普也对此事发表了看法，他称拜登政府在“不计后果地消除我们的边境”。

Jen Psaki, Biden's press secretary, said Republicans who say Biden opened the border were "absolutely incorrect."

拜登的新闻秘书詹·普萨基表示，共和党人称拜登开放了边境，这种说法是“绝对错误的”。

However, Roberta Jacobson, who works in the White House, said many people may now be trying to get into the U.S. after Biden took office. She said they think a more "humane" policy is in place now that Trump is no longer president. She also noted that people who smuggle migrants into the U.S. may have been giving people false information.

不过，白宫工作人员罗伯塔·雅各布森表示，拜登上台后，可能有许多人会试图进入美国。她说，因为他们认为，特朗普已不再担任总统，而现行政策更为“人道”。她还指出，将移民偷渡到美国的人可能给移民提供了虚假信息。

The Biden administration stopped the building of a border wall which Trump started during his presidency. However, some policies from the Trump administration have stayed in place. The U.S. continues to prevent some people from coming into the country because of the COVID-19 health crisis.

拜登政府下令停止特朗普任期内开始修建的边境墙工程。然而，特朗普政府的部分政策仍然有效。由于新冠肺炎卫生危机，美国阻止部分人入境的政策仍在实施。

Alejandro Mayorkas is the Homeland Security secretary. On Tuesday, he said that children coming into the U.S. are "vulnerable" and the U.S. has ended a policy of sending them back.

亚历杭德罗马·约卡斯是美国国土安全部长。他在周二表示，入境美国的儿童是“弱势群体”，美国已经终止将他们遣返的政策。

The number of children trying to cross the border without adults increased by 60 percent from January to February. More than 9,400 tried to enter the United States last month.

1月至2月，试图越境的无成人陪伴儿童人数增加了60%。上个月有超过9400人试图入境美国。

U.S. Customs and Border Protection supervises security at the border. It dealt with 100,000 people, mostly adults, in February. The last time the number was that high was in June 2019.

美国海关和边境保护局负责监督边境安全。今年2月，该部门处理了10万名移民，其中大部分是成年人。上一次移民数量达到如此之高还要追溯到2019年6月。

While the U.S. is still sending adults and families home, children under the age of 18 who come by themselves are permitted to stay. The U.S. is considering whether they should be offered asylum or another reason to remain.

虽然美国依然会将成年人和家庭遣返回国，但18岁以下独自抵达边境的孩子可以留下。美国正在考虑是否应为他们提供庇护或其他留下的理由。

Mayorkas said the majority of the children who are coming to the border have a relative or parent in the U.S.

马约卡斯表示，大多数抵达边境的孩子都有亲属或父母在美国。

Biden's administration is working with FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to set up temporary places for migrant children to live in both Texas and Arizona. It is also working with the Central American countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to make more shelters available south of the U.S. border and slow down the number of people who want to come north.

拜登政府正在与联邦紧急事务管理局（简称FEMA）合作，为得克萨斯州和亚利桑那州的移民儿童设立临时住所。政府也在与中美洲国家洪都拉斯、危地马拉和萨尔瓦多合作，在美国边境以南提供更多的避难所，并减缓希望北上的移民人数。

Mayorkas said his agency is working hard but called the situation "a difficult one."

马约卡斯表示，他领导的机构正在努力工作，但称情况“很困难”。

Words in This Story

challenge –n. a difficult task or problem

recklessly –adv. not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions

eliminating –v. to remove something

absolutely –adv. completely or totally

humane –adj. kind or gentle to people or animals

smuggle –v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly

vulnerable –adj. open to attack, harm, or damage