美国国家公共电台 NPR--Texas and Arizona are sending migrants to D.C. without formal support in place

Texas and Arizona are sending migrants to D.C. without formal support in place

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to Amanda Michelle Gomez of member station WAMU and Abel Nu?ez of the Central American Resource Center about buses of migrants sent by Texas and Arizona to Washington,

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

At all hours a day, charter buses from the U.S.-Mexico border arrive at Washington D.C.'s Union Station, just a few blocks from the Capitol building. The states of Texas and Arizona are paying for them. The people aboard those buses are migrants and asylum-seekers. And when they disembark in D.C., they find neither the local nor federal government there to meet them. Amanda Michelle Gomez of WAMU joins us now. She's been reporting on the story. Amanda, when did these buses start arriving in front of D.C.'s Union Station?

AMANDA MICHELLE GOMEZ, BYLINE²: It started in April, almost four months ago. Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he started sending the buses because the Biden administration attempted to lift a pandemic-era emergency order that allowed the U.S. to deny migrants entry. That order is still in effect after a federal court ruling. Critics called this, quote, "political theater," including some Republican state and local officials. Still, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey joined Texas and started busing migrants to the nation's capital in May.

MART?NEZ: How many people, Amanda, have arrived to D.C. this way?

GOMEZ: More than 6,100 migrants have been bused to D.C. from Texas alone, according to Governor Abbott's office. Buses arrive six days a week, as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 11 p.m. Local volunteers and nonprofit staff have greeted nearly every bus that's arrived at Union Station. I recently spoke³ to one couple from Venezuela who stayed at a local volunteer's home with their four children until their flight to Florida. Here's the husband, Ronald (ph).

RONALD: (Speaking Spanish).

GOMEZ: Ronald told me that he felt welcomed in Washington in a way he just didn't in Texas. He said that if he wasn't headed to meet family in Florida, he'd want to stay in D.C. And about 10 to 15% of those who are dropped off by these buses have decided⁴ to stay in the district indefinitely.

MART?NEZ: Now, I know D.C.'s mayor, Muriel Bowser, has had something to say about this. How has she responded?

GOMEZ: Mayor Bowser says this is a federal issue that demands a federal response. She and other local government officials secured a FEMA grant for an international nonprofit called SAMU to offer emergency services to migrants. Then, about two weeks ago, Bowser requested that the federal government deploy⁵ D.C.'s National Guard to support SAMU's few dozen staff. But so far, the feds have not responded to her request. I should add that some volunteers disagree with what they call a, quote, "militarized response" to the humanitarian⁶ crisis.

MART?NEZ: Amanda Michelle Gomez of WAMU. Amanda, thanks a lot.

GOMEZ: Thank you.

MART?NEZ: Abel Nunez is head of CARECEN, the Central American Resource Center.

ABEL NUNEZ: April 13 is when we got a call from, actually, the Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs that said they had gotten a tip that a bus was on its way. The first responders for the first three buses were Catholic Charities. And so we sort of started coming in on April 16. And it was really crazy because they were just leaving them on the street. And so we needed to just step in there and make sure that, you know, they understood where they were and kind of help them on their next steps.

MART?NEZ: Did you think that the governor of Texas was just kind of trying to be bombastic⁷ here? Did you actually think, it's not going to happen?

NUNEZ: Well, I felt that he truly wanted to get a media hit out of this and that eventually, two, three weeks later, he would stop doing it. I mean, he used to send a press release for every bus that left. And that went up to, like, bus 10 or 15. And then he just stopped doing it. And he went silent, but continued to send the buses. So, yes, I was hoping that this was a political stunt⁸ that was going to run its course.

MART?NEZ: So tell us about when you met your first bus. What was that like, to meet these people who maybe had no idea what was happening?

NUNEZ: Well, you know, it was interesting because this is not a coordinated⁹ effort. So basically, we get some intel from someone that works at a nonprofit at the border in Del Rio, Texas. But when we first came, we didn't know. So we were there since 5 in the morning, right? We knew it was on its way, and it didn't arrive in D.C. until 8 a.m. So we were there since 5, just waiting for them. You know, later, we realized that these people had just been let out of immigration detention¹⁰ at the border, spent, like, maybe less than a day at a shelter - not even a shelter, a nonprofit in Del Rio, Texas - and then got on this bus that was about 36 hours long in their journey.

So they really just looked shell-shocked, that they didn't know where they were going. And I think that they saw us. And at that moment, there was a lot of media around. So they saw cameras put in their face and us, you know, kind of shouting at them saying, if you need help, come with us. And it was just about getting them situated¹¹.

MART?NEZ: And how aware were these people of what was happening to them?

NUNEZ: Well, for them, it was just a free ride. You know, they were there. They didn't really have any other options. And being offered a bus to the East Coast - Washington, D.C. - which some of them understood that it was closer to their final destination. So in one way, they were happy that that was offered to them. But I think that they were confused as to the disorder¹² that they found once they got to D.C.

MART?NEZ: And where were some of their final destinations?

NUNEZ: Some of them were going to New York, Miami. We have to recognize that the immigrants coming in are primarily from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba. We have some folks from Central Africa - from Angola and the Congo. Some we've even had to send back to California or even Texas - right? - because the bus is not authorized¹³ to stop anywhere in Texas - is wherever they have, really, family or friends that can receive them.

MART?NEZ: Your organization started to try to accommodate them. What did you try to do?

NUNEZ: The governor of Texas has pushed the respite¹⁴ work up to D.C., right? We're not a border town, so we are not used to doing this type of work. So what we began doing was just basic respite work. You know, we gave them a meal because we know that they've gotten, like, MREs - that's the food that are given to soldiers when they're on the field, right? I mean, I guess it meets nutritional¹⁵ standards, but I don't know how good of it it is for folks that are in a bus. Some people haven't even showered since, you know, they were in Mexico. So we give them some clothes, some hygiene¹⁶ kits¹⁷ when we have them. And then what we did, and we continue to do, is to help them get to their final destination.

MART?NEZ: How much help can you give? Are you still able to provide it or are you tapped out already?

NUNEZ: We have switched what we have been doing. So we were there at the buses receiving them. Now for close to three weeks, we have stepped back because we have identified SAMU First Response, who has received some funding from FEMA. And we're helping¹⁸ them just create the infrastructure¹⁹, right? We have to develop our own infrastructure here in Washington, D.C. - in, I would say, the metropolitan²⁰ area - to be able to receive these immigrants.

Like, receiving them at Union Station or receiving them at whatever church can open up their doors is not sustainable, right? We need a place where we can give them a meal and actually help them plan their next step. And if that means helping them buying a ticket - we need time. We need somewhere they can come in, rest, be safe for two or three days so they can take their next step, even if that means staying in the D.C. area.

MART?NEZ: Well, you called what Texas Governor Greg Abbott has done as a stunt. Ultimately, though, Abel, did Greg Abbott's stunt work?

NUNEZ: Well, I say at this moment, no. I think this is an example where the local community rose up and said, no, we are not going to have chaos²¹ in our city. We are going to be in solidarity²² with the people that are on the buses and help them to the best of our ability. Now, we're reaching our limit on that. But if we would be able to get some resources from the city, resources from the federal government and other municipalities around, I think we can do an amazing job of demonstrating to this nation what it is to really integrate newcomers into our communities.

MART?NEZ: Abel Nunez leads the Central American Resource Center, also known as CARECEN. Abel, thanks a lot.

NUNEZ: Thank you.

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 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。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

6 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。

7 bombastic   

adj.夸夸其谈的，言过其实的

参考例句：

• The candidate spoke in a bombastic way of all that he would do if elected.候选人大肆吹嘘，一旦他当选将要如何如何。
• The orator spoke in a bombastic manner.这位演说家的讲话言过其实。

8 stunt   

n.惊人表演，绝技，特技；vt.阻碍...发育，妨碍...生长

参考例句：

• Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
• Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。

9 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

11 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

12 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

13 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

14 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

15 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

16 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

17 kits   

衣物和装备( kit的名词复数 )； 成套用品； 配套元件

参考例句：

• Keep your kits closed and locked when not in use. 不用的话把你的装备都锁好放好。
• Gifts Articles, Toy and Games, Wooden Toys, Puzzles, Craft Kits. 采购产品礼品，玩具和游戏，木制的玩具，智力玩具，手艺装备。

18 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

19 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

20 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

21 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。

22 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。