美国国家公共电台 NPR--In first GOP-led hearing about the border, witnesses paint sharply different pictures

In first GOP-led hearing about the border, witnesses paint sharply different pictures

Transcript¹

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee used their first hearing of the new Congress to zero in on what they call a crisis at the southern U.S. border.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, presided over a hearing Wednesday billed as "The Biden Border Crisis — Part I." As the name implies, it's the first of what are likely to be many GOP-led hearings on the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Jordan and other Republicans on the committee blamed the administration's policies for the record number of migrant apprehensions² at the border over the past two years — even as President Biden has kept some of President Trump's key border policies in place, including the pandemic restrictions³ known as Title 42.

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Some in the GOP majority also amplified⁴ controversial rhetoric⁵ about an "invasion" of migrants, and pushed questionable⁶ claims about how the synthetic⁷ opioid fentanyl is smuggled⁸ into the U.S.

Republicans sought to portray⁹ the surge in migrants as a threat to communities across the country, while Democrats¹¹ accused them of fear-mongering and spreading misinformation.

"It is open. The border is dangerous," said Rep. Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona. "Drugs pour across, international terrorists, criminal gang members, people from all over the world."

The Biden administration disputes that the border is open, and argues that its recent enforcement measures have led to a drop in the number of illegal border crossings in recent weeks.

But no Biden administration officials were called to testify, leaving Democrats on the committee to defend their record.

"The Biden administration actually expelled over 1.1 million people last year. And recently expanded the use of Title 42, much to the concern of many of us on the committee," said the committee's ranking member, Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler of New York, who described the hearing as "political theater."

Dubious¹² assertions about fentanyl smuggling¹³

Republicans on the committee also sought to focus attention on the growing number of deaths from fentanyl, which is often smuggled across the southern border from Mexico.

The committee heard testimony¹⁴ from Brandon Dunn, whose 15-year-old son died of fentanyl poisoning last year. Dunn and his wife co-founded a nonprofit group called Forever 15 to spread awareness¹⁵ about fentanyl poisoning.

"Any amount smuggled in a backpack or a fanny pack even in somebody's pocket can be enough to kill thousands of people," Dunn said.

Committee members of both parties offered their condolences to Mr. Dunn — but differed sharply in their interpretations¹⁶ of his testimony.

Democrats pointed¹⁷ out that the vast majority of fentanyl seizures¹⁸ happen at official ports of entry, often in vehicles driven by U.S. citizens. Experts say a relatively¹⁹ small fraction is seized by Border Patrol agents between the ports of entry, while virtually none is seized from migrants who are turning themselves in to seek asylum²⁰.

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, a Democrat¹⁰ from Pennsylvania, accused Republicans of attempting to "conflate the issues of migrants seeking asylum through our legal processes with the very real scourge²¹ of fentanyl trafficking."

But Republicans say there is a connection, because large numbers of migrants crossing the border are distracting Border Patrol agents from doing their jobs.

"The Border Patrol is now distracted processing human beings," said Texas Rep. Chip Roy. "The border patrol can't possibly catch all of the fentanyl at the ports of entry, nor catch all of the fentanyl between the ports of entry."

White House spokesperson Ian Sams responded Wednesday evening, saying, "Funding secured by the president has allowed his administration to seize record levels of fentanyl before it even crosses our borders." He added, "After decades of congressional inaction, House Republicans should join President Biden to roll up their sleeves to pass comprehensive immigration reform and strengthen border security – building on the record funding for border security the President has already secured, which most House Republicans opposed."

Witnesses paint sharply different pictures of the border

The committee also heard from a pair of law enforcement officials in border communities, who painted starkly²² different pictures of the current situation.

The border is "the worst I've seen it," said Sheriff Mark Dannels of Cochise County in southern Arizona. He says his resources are stretched thin trying to help Border Patrol agents catch migrants who try to sneak²³ through the desert.

"The morale²⁴ of agents is extremely low, and the collective frustration²⁵ is very high amongst law enforcement at all levels," Dannels said. "This is the largest crime scene in this country."

But the committee also heard from El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego, who described a completely different scenario²⁶. "There is no open border in El Paso," Samaniego said, explaining that migrants there routinely turn themselves in to Border Patrol for processing in an orderly fashion.

Samaniego testified that local officials and nonprofit groups have been working closely for years with Border Patrol and other immigration authorities, and have developed a workable strategy for dealing²⁷ with large numbers of migrants seeking protection in the U.S.

"Humanitarianism²⁸ and security are not a binary²⁹ choice. It is the federal government's responsibility to do both," Samaniego said.

Heated rhetoric about 'invasion'

Several times, Republicans on the committee suggested that the Biden administration was deliberately³⁰ encouraging migrants to cross the border illegally. Rep. Roy of Texas went even further, invoking³¹ the word "invasion" to describe the flow of migrants across the border.

Critics have linked that term to the so-called Replacement³² Theory, the false conspiracy³³ theory that Democrats are deliberately trying to replace white Americans with immigrants of color for political gain.

Judge Samaniego of El Paso rejected that framing.

"There is no invasion of migrants in our community. Nor are there hordes³⁴ of immigrants committing crimes against citizens or causing havoc³⁵ in our community," Samaniego said. "Claiming this continues a false racist³⁶ narrative³⁷."

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 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

5 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

6 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

7 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

8 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

9 portray   

v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等)

参考例句：

• It is difficult to portray feelings in words.感情很难用言语来描写。
• Can you portray the best and worst aspects of this job?您能描述一下这份工作最好与最坏的方面吗？

10 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

11 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 dubious   

adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• What he said yesterday was dubious.他昨天说的话很含糊。
• He uses some dubious shifts to get money.他用一些可疑的手段去赚钱。

13 smuggling   

n.走私

参考例句：

• Some claimed that the docker's union fronted for the smuggling ring.某些人声称码头工人工会是走私集团的掩护所。
• The evidence pointed to the existence of an international smuggling network.证据表明很可能有一个国际走私网络存在。

14 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

15 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

16 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

18 seizures   

n.起获( seizure的名词复数 )；没收；充公；起获的赃物

参考例句：

• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year. 今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Other causes of unconsciousness predisposing to aspiration lung abscess are convulsive seizures. 造成吸入性肺脓肿昏迷的其他原因，有惊厥发作。 来自辞典例句

19 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

20 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

21 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

22 starkly   

adj. 变硬了的,完全的 adv. 完全,实在,简直

参考例句：

• The city of Befast remains starkly divided between Catholics and Protestants. 贝尔法斯特市完全被处在天主教徒和新教徒的纷争之中。
• The black rocks stood out starkly against the sky. 那些黑色的岩石在天空衬托下十分显眼。

23 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

24 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

25 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

26 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

27 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

28 humanitarianism   

n.博爱主义；人道主义；基督凡人论

参考例句：

• Humanitarianism is apt to be forgotten when the balloon goes up. 一旦战争爆发，人道主义往往就被抛到脑后了。 来自互联网
• We must heal the wounded, rescue the dying, practicing revolutionary humanitarianism. 我们要救死扶伤，实行革命的人道主义。 来自互联网

29 binary   

adj.二，双；二进制的；n.双(体)；联星

参考例句：

• Computers operate using binary numbers.计算机运行运用二进位制。
• Let us try converting the number itself to binary.我们试一试，把这个数本身变成二进制数。

30 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

31 invoking   

v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• You can customise the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• You can customize the behavior of the Asynchronous Server and hence re-brand it by defining your own command set for invoking services. 通过定义自己调用服务的命令集，您可以定制自定义异步服务器的行为，通过为调用服务定义自己的命令集从而对它重新标记。 来自辞典例句

32 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

33 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

34 hordes   

n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落

参考例句：

• There are always hordes of tourists here in the summer. 夏天这里总有成群结队的游客。
• Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. 大群记者在会堂外争抢位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》

35 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

36 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

37 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。