美国国家公共电台 NPR--U.S. is accused of a double standard when it comes to Afghan and Ukrainian refugees

U.S. is accused of a double standard when it comes to Afghan and Ukrainian refugees

Transcript¹

Thousands of Afghans that were promised U.S. visas remain on the run from the Taliban. The Biden administration, however, quickly cleared red tape for Ukrainians after Russia invaded Ukraine.

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

In the weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration announced plans to accept 100,000 refugees from the war. But the move has raised questions about a possible double standard. When the Taliban took over Afghanistan last August, the United States evacuated² about 79,000 Afghans. But most who made it to the U.S. still have no clear way to stay. And back in Afghanistan, thousands who were promised U.S. visas are still stuck. NPR's Quil Lawrence reports.

QUIL LAWRENCE, BYLINE³: Naheed Farid was a member of Afghanistan's parliament, well connected with the U.S. State Department. And the Taliban knew that.

NAHEED FARID: I was receiving different threats from ISIS K, from Haqqani Network, from the Taliban. And imagine if I was in Afghanistan, and they definitely would harm me.

LAWRENCE: As her home city of Herat fell, she fled the country. Farid has a green card, and her husband is a U.S. citizen. So they can stay here in the U.S. She's even got a fellowship at Princeton. But in the chaos⁴ last August, she took her sister-in-law's children and got them out. Now they can't get the kids' parents here.

FARID: We tried to bring them to the U.S., but still, it didn't work. It's since last August that they didn't see their parents. Imagine how hard it is for their parents, especially for the mom.

LAWRENCE: Shaheed (ph) knows she's one of the lucky ones. Of the Afghans airlifted out to military bases in the U.S., about half - 36,000 - are here on what's called humanitarian⁵ parole, giving them two years to stay. But almost a year in, they have no clear legal option to remain after that. U.S. Immigration Services told NPR they've received 46,000 requests for humanitarian parole from Afghans in the past year. And from Afghans outside the U.S., only 300 were granted. Jennifer Patota with the International Refugee Assistance Project says the government has to do more.

JENNIFER PATOTA: Many hundreds or thousands of people have applied⁶ for humanitarian parole as a way to try to get themselves and their families out of danger. The U.S. government has simply sat on the applications and has not processed the vast majority.

LAWRENCE: Patota is also working on SIVs, Special Immigrant Visas, a program for Afghans who worked with the U.S. military. It's been backlogged⁷ since its creation in 2009. The State Department says it has increased resources to get more SIV candidates out of Afghanistan, but there are tens of thousands of them, including one of Jennifer Patota's clients.

SARBAZ: (Speaking Dari).

LAWRENCE: Sarbaz, who we agreed to call just by his nickname, defused bombs for U.S. Green Berets.

SARBAZ: (Through interpreter) We were working for the U.S. Special Forces, and they were conducting operations days and night. We were dismantling⁸ landmines⁹ which were placed by the Taliban. Our job was dangerous, and the threat were extremely high.

LAWRENCE: U.S. military records show that while on the job in May of 2020, a Taliban gunman shot Sarbaz in the spine¹⁰. He woke up nine days later on a U.S. base surrounded by military doctors.

SARBAZ: (Through interpreter) And they were very happy that I opened my eyes. But right now I'm in a wheelchair. I cannot walk.

LAWRENCE: The bullet paralyzed him from the waist down. When Kabul fell last August, Sarbaz couldn't get through the crowds at the airport in his wheelchair. And since then, he's been in hiding. He has a request of the U.S. government.

SARBAZ: (Through interpreter) They should not forget me. I, myself, do not have anything in my life right now. But at least they can fulfill¹¹ the wish of my wife and my child in order to have a bright future.

SHAWN VANDIVER: And so we owe them a life debt. We owe them a debt of gratitude¹². We owe them what we promised them.

LAWRENCE: Shawn VanDiver is a Navy veteran with a coalition¹³ called AfghanEvac, which is pushing to revamp the SIV program.

VANDIVER: Because we sent young men and women far afield to Afghanistan and Iraq, and we said, you tell these folks that if they stand with us, we'll stand with them. What Congress has done is turned us into liars¹⁴.

LAWRENCE: VanDiver mentions Congress because there is a legislative¹⁵ fix. The Biden administration has asked Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would streamline¹⁶ the process for SIV candidates and other Afghans to get legal status in the U.S. Congress left that provision out of the Ukraine funding bill last month because some Republicans claimed that Afghans need more vetting¹⁷. It has not escaped notice that help for Ukraine, a predominantly white Christian¹⁸ country, has come much faster than help for Afghan allies.

Quil Lawrence, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF DEEB'S "FLUID DYNAMICS")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 backlogged   

（使）积压( backlog的过去式和过去分词 )； 储存； （为日后装运而）登账确认（订货）

参考例句：

8 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

9 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

10 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

11 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

12 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

13 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

14 liars   

说谎者( liar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest liars talk most of themselves. 最爱自吹自擂的人是最大的说谎者。
• Honest boys despise lies and liars. 诚实的孩子鄙视谎言和说谎者。

15 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

16 streamline   

vt.使成流线型；使简化；使现代化

参考例句：

• We must streamline our methods.我们必须简化方法。
• Any liquid or gas passing it will have streamline flow.任何通过它的液体或气体将呈流线型的流动。

17 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

18 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。