Trump Administration Expands Enforcement of US Immigration Laws
VOA News
February 21, 2017 9:51 PM (source)
Trump Administration Expands Enforcement of US Immigration Laws
川普政府:美國移民法擴大執行
February 21, 2017 9:51 PM
Ken Schwartz
The Trump administration is expanding enforcement of U.S. immigration laws that could result in immediate deportation for millions of undocumented migrants.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the new guidelines Tuesday. Previous policies focused on deporting illegal migrants convicted of so-called serious crimes.
The new policies greatly expand that to include anyone in the country illegally who is guilty of just a minor offense, such as shoplifting, or even suspected of a crime.
"Effective immediately," the document read, "department personnel shall faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States against all removable aliens."
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly also says the agency plans to hire thousands of enforcement agents and assign local authorities to act as immigration officers.
Immigrants who cannot prove they have been in the country for at least two years would be subject to "expedited removal."
The new guidelines also call for enforcement of a seldom-used law that lets the U.S. send people caught trying to cross the Mexican border back to Mexico for detention, no matter what country they originally came from.
Approximately 750,000 undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children — known as "dreamers" — are unaffected by the expanded policies.
Approach to DACA
Last week, Trump told the media during a news conference he plans to deal with those covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program "with heart," a subject he called "very, very tough."
"You have some absolutely incredible kids, I would say, mostly," Trump said. "I find it very, very hard doing what the law says exactly to do, and you know the law is rough."
But immigration groups and civil libertarians say millions of people will be terrified to step out of their front doors, fearing they could be arrested and deported for no clear reason.
"These memos confirm that the Trump administration is willing to trample on due process, human decency, the well-being of our communities, and even protections for vulnerable children," the American Civil Liberties Union's Omar Jadwat said Tuesday.
But the expanded policies should not be a surprise. Trump promised throughout his campaign to get tough on illegal immigration, saying the safety of the American people and the security of U.S. borders were paramount concerns.
He made building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a theme of his presidential campaign.
Agents 'to operate unfettered'
"Virtually every immigrant is now a priority for detention and deportation. Immigration and border agents will increase dramatically in number and are empowered to operate unfettered," Joanne Lin, American Civil Liberties Union senior legislative counsel, has said in a statement.
"State and local law enforcement agencies, including those with records of racial profiling and police brutality, are encouraged to become immigration agents," Lin said.
A federal appeals court has upheld a lower-court ruling blocking Trump's executive order banning immigration and refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. The president says a revised executive order could come later this week.
川普政府正擴大執行美國移民法,可能導致數百萬未持有合法證件的(undocumented)移民立即被遣返(deportation)。
美國的國土安全部(The Department of Homeland Security)於週二(編按:新聞時間為2017年2月21日)公佈了新的指南。在這之前的政策著重於遣返因犯有所謂的重罪而被判刑(convicted of . . .)的非法移民。
但新的政策大幅擴大了遣返對象的範圍,包括在美國境內曾犯有輕罪(minor offense),如店內偷竊(shoplift),或被懷疑(suspected of . . .)犯罪的人。
文件中指出:「(此政策)即刻生效(effective)。相關部門人員(personnel)須對所有應被遣送之外籍人士(alien)確實執行美國移民法。」
國土安全部部長約翰‧凱利(John Kelly)並表示,將僱用數千名執法人員(enforcement agent),並指派地方局處人員擔任移民官員。
移民如無法證明已持續在美國境內至少兩年,則將受到「快速遣返(expedited removal)」的處置(subject to . . .)。
新的指南中也要求(call for)執行一條很少被援引的美國法律:對於任何企圖跨越墨西哥(Mexico)邊境的人,無論其原國籍為何,都將被送回墨西哥拘留(detention)。
大約有75萬名在兒童時期被帶到美國的無合法證件的移民,亦即所謂的「夢想家」,將不受此擴大執行的移民政策影響。
「童年入境暫緩遣返」的執行方針
上週,川普在新聞記者會上告訴媒體,他將非常「用心地」處理「童年入境暫緩遣返(Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, DACA)」計畫所涵蓋的移民,他認為此議題「非常、非常的困難」。
「我得說,他們絕大多數都是非常傑出優秀的孩子。」川普如此表示:「我覺得很難照著法律來做,畢竟法律很粗暴。」
但移民團體和民權自由主義派人士說,數百萬人將因此不敢走出家門,害怕可能會無緣無故地就被逮捕和驅逐出境。
美國公民自由聯盟(American Civil Liberties Union)的奧瑪爾‧查德瓦特(Omar Jadwat)於週二表示:「這些備忘錄(memo)證實了,對於正當程序(due process)、人性尊嚴、社群的健全,乃至弱勢兒童的保障,川普政府都能無所忌憚地踐踏(trample on)。」
然而移民政策的擴大執行其實並不意外。川普在競選期間即不斷承諾,會堅決打擊(get tough on)非法移民,也表示美國人民的安全和美國邊境的穩固是他所關注最重要的(paramount)議題。
沿著美墨邊境築牆也是他在總統競選期間的主要議題。
官員「執勤將不受約束(unfettered)」
美國公民自由聯盟(American Civil Liberties Union)資深的立法顧問(legislative counsel)喬安‧林(Joanne Lin)在一份聲明中表示:「幾乎每位移民都成為被拘留或驅逐的優先對象。移民官和邊境官的人數會急遽增加,亦將被授予權力(empower),以便不被約束地執行勤務。」
喬安‧林表示:「各州的州級和地方執法機構的人員,還包含那些曾有種族針對性執法(racial profiling)紀錄和暴力(brutality)值勤紀錄的警察,都將受鼓勵成為移民官。」
(編按:"profiling"有一個延伸的意思是「以心理或行為特質的資料來建檔、歸檔,用此研判或分析某些人的潛在的能力或作為對其特定行為的預測」。"racial profiling" 指的是執法人員在本應一視同仁的執法過程中,僅因對方的種族而預先決定要採取的行動,也就是針對特定種族選擇執法的寬鬆程度。舉例來說,在美國的社會情境中,有的警察只要看到「非白種人」就會先入為主地認定其有犯罪嫌疑而積極攔檢或盤查。過去幾年間,美國已發生過數件警察被質疑在執法過程中具有種族針對性而執勤過當或甚至開槍「誤殺」的新聞事件,如2014年8月9日發生在密蘇里州(Missouri)的麥可‧布朗命案(Shooting of Michael Brown)。)
美國的聯邦上訴法院(appeals court)維持(uphold)了一個下級法院的裁決(ruling),該裁決阻擋了川普對七個穆斯林占多數的國家所頒布的禁止移民和難民入境的行政命令(executive order)。川普說,修改後的行政命令可能會於本週稍晚時出爐。
Language Notes
deportation (v) 驅逐出境,遣返
*deport (v) 把. . . . . .驅逐出境;把. . . . . .遣送出境
convict (v) 宣判有罪,定罪
*be convicted of (v phr) 被定. . . . . .罪
offense (n) 犯罪行為,觸法行為
*offend (v) 冒犯;觸犯;得罪. . . . . .
personnel [ˏpɝsə`nɛl] (n) (公司、組織或軍隊的)全體人員,員工,職員
*注意本字重音在最後音節;此為「集合名詞」,可視為單數或複數使用
alien (n) 外國人,外籍人士;僑居民
*本字當名詞亦有「外星人」的意思。 "alien" 用來指「外籍人士」時多用於法律或較正式的文件,普通口語指稱「外國人」仍以 "foreigner"為佳。
subject (a) 隸屬於. . . . . .的,受. . . . . .支配的
*用法上,後接介係詞 "to" : be subject to . . .
expedite[`ɛkspəˏdaɪt] (v) 迅速完成;促進;加快
detention[dɪ`tɛnʃən] (n) 拘留
*注意本字重音在第二音節
memo (n) 備忘錄,記錄
*本字是由 memorandum [ˏmemə`rændəm] 簡化而來
trample[`træmpḷ] (v) 踩,踐踏;蹂躪
paramount [`pærəmaʊnt] (a) 至高無上的;最重要的;主要的
unfettered (a) 不受控制的;不受約束的;自由的
*fetter (v) 把. . . . . .上腳鐐;束縛
empower (v) 給(某人)做. . . . . .的權力;授權
uphold[ʌp`hold] (v) 維護;維持;贊成
*注意本字重音在第二音節
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Fill in the blanks with a word or phrase from the list above. Make necessary changes. After you finish, highlight the blanks to reveal the hidden answers.
He has twice been convicted of robbery.
It's an offence to park on double yellow lines.
Judge Davis upheld the county court's decision.
There are many priorities, but reducing the budget deficit is of paramount importance.
All personnel of the company are eligible for the retirement plan.
While in this country you are subject to its laws.
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