美国国家公共电台 NPR--Arguments over the legality of DACA will be heard in a federal court in Texas

Arguments over the legality of DACA will be heard in a federal court in Texas

Transcript¹

A federal judge in Houston will hear arguments Thursday about the legality of DACA, the program that grants temporary legal status to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

In Houston today, a federal judge is again hearing arguments about the legality of DACA. The Deferred² Action for Childhood Arrivals program provides temporary legal status to immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. Texas is among the states challenging DACA, first started by the Obama administration more than a decade ago. We spoke³ earlier with immigration reporter Stella Chavez of member station KERA in Dallas.

Stella, what can we expect in court today? What are the attorneys going to be arguing?

STELLA CHAVEZ, BYLINE⁴: So basically, the attorneys for the civil rights group MALDEF, and that's the Mexican American Legal Defense⁵ and Educational Fund, they're going to focus on two main issues. The first is that neither Texas nor the other states in this multi-state lawsuit⁶ have standing⁷ to sue. And so what that means is that the states haven't shown that DACA has caused their state any injury, for example, that DACA recipients⁸ aren't a financial burden. And the second issue they'll argue is that DACA is, in fact, lawful⁹. So in other words, the federal government has the right to allow DACA recipients to stay in the country, receive work permits, attend college, basically live here lawfully¹⁰.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. And this isn't the first legal challenge for the program. I know that Judge Andrew Hanen ruled nearly two years ago that DACA was unlawful.

CHAVEZ: Yes, that's right. But it's complicated. It's been a very long legal battle going back several years. And after Hanen's ruling, it was appealed to the fifth court, which agreed with Hanen. The Biden administration then fortified¹¹ some DACA protections by finalizing¹² a rule, and then the case was kicked back to his court. So here we are again, basically with Texas and the other states still challenging the legality of the program.

MART?NEZ: Yeah. Now for the 600,000 active DACA recipients, what does this all mean or what it - could it all mean for them?

CHAVEZ: Well, a lot of them were kids when they were brought to this country. I mean, the oldest recipients are now in their early 40s. Some are married with families. They have jobs. They're actually teachers, health workers. They're in social services. And many of them have lived in the U.S. longer than in their home countries, and they actually feel more connected to this country. So some may not even speak their parents' language or speak it well, and it's been really stressful. A lot of people I've talked to have said that they are constantly worried about their future.

MART?NEZ: All right. So when might there be a ruling in this case?

CHAVEZ: So observers say they don't expect the judge to rule right away. And when he does, it won't necessarily mean the end of DACA. So if he rules against it, it'll likely be challenged. We can expect more court dates. And, in fact, most people expect the case to end up back at the U.S. Supreme¹³ Court. And so while all of this is happening, current DACA recipients would likely get to keep their status, but new applicants¹⁴ would still be denied. So there's still a lot of uncertainty¹⁵.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, until Congress decides to act. That's Stella Chavez of member station KERA. Stella, thanks.

CHAVEZ: Yeah. Thank you, A.

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 deferred   

adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从

参考例句：

• The department deferred the decision for six months. 这个部门推迟了六个月才作决定。
• a tax-deferred savings plan 延税储蓄计划

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 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。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

10 lawfully   

adv.守法地，合法地；合理地

参考例句：

• Lawfully established contracts shall be protected by law. 依法成立的合同应受法律保护。 来自口语例句
• As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death parts us. 当成是我的合法丈夫，无论疾病灾难，直到死亡把我们分开。 来自电影对白

11 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

12 finalizing   

vt.完成（finalize的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• You may edit registered information any time during the finalizing period. 您可以在规定期限内随时编辑修改注册资料。 来自互联网
• Natsun Trimming & Ironing, Finalizing the Perfection. 40南山整烫，完美在此定格。 来自互联网

13 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

14 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

15 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。