美国国家公共电台 NPR--Why migrant traffic through a dangerous jungle passageway is slowing down

Why migrant traffic through a dangerous jungle passageway is slowing down

Transcript¹

A Colombian town at the start of the Darien Gap, one of the most treacherous² migrant routes in the world, has seen a drop in migrants after the U.S. recently implemented³ the new immigration rules.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

For migrants on their way to the United States from South America, a key stopover is a Colombian town where they prepare to enter a thick, roadless rainforest on the border with Panama. Traffic through the jungle is slowing. Reporter John Otis explains why.

(CROSSTALK)

JOHN OTIS, BYLINE⁵: Scores of migrants gather on the wharf⁶ in Necocli, on Colombia's Caribbean coast. Most are from Venezuela, but there's a smattering of Africans, Chinese, Ecuadorians and Haitians.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Non-English language spoken).

OTIS: Because they lack visas, flying to the U.S. is not an option. So they're taking a roundabout, overland route through South and Central America, then Mexico.

(SOUNDBITE OF PLASTIC BAG CRINKLING)

OTIS: They wrap their luggage in plastic, then board a boat that will take them across a bay to where the Darien jungle begins. Then, they'll spend up to a week, walking 60 miles, to get to the first village on the Panamanian side of the border.

The migrants are wearing life jackets. They've got their passports encased in plastic. They're drinking water, buying last-minute food supplies and getting set for the Darien jungle.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER RUSHING)

OTIS: The boat pulls away from the dock, and the migrants are on their way. While navigating⁷ the rainforest, hundreds of migrants have been robbed, killed or raped⁸, and some have drowned in fast-flowing rivers. Yet they're so desperate to get to the U.S. that, last year, a quarter of a million people braved the Darien jungle - an all-time high.

(CROSSTALK)

OTIS: But the migrant flow is finally starting to abate⁹. On May 11, the Biden administration put in place new rules for entering the U.S. that are in some ways much tougher on migrants. Now, those caught entering the U.S. without a visa could face criminal prosecution¹⁰ and a five-year ban from re-entering the country. Those seeking asylum¹¹ must first prove they were denied asylum in a country they traveled through on their way to the U.S. U.N. officials tell NPR that, before the new rules took hold, between 1,000 and 1,500 migrants were crossing the Darien jungle every day. Now, they say, that number has dropped to between 500 and 700.

NATALIE VASQUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: Natalie Vasquez (ph), who manages one of the main ferry services here in Necocli, immediately felt the impact.

VASQUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: She says her ticket sales to boat passengers heading to the Darien jungle have dropped by half.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

OTIS: The changes are also visible on the town's waterfront. It used to be filled with migrants camping out in tents as they prepared to cross the jungle. Now, most of the tents are gone, and tourists have reclaimed¹² the sandy beaches. But this lull¹³ may be temporary. The factors driving migration⁴, like rising crime, political instability and economic strife¹⁴, are getting worse across much of South America.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: This Ecuadorean bus driver, who I meet on the wharf in Necocli, says he left his homeland after he was threatened by gang members demanding extortion payments.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: "They pulled a knife on me twice because I didn't want to pay them off," he says. "I was really scared. That's why I fled."

(CROSSTALK)

OTIS: Farther down the beach, I meet Rudi Heredia (ph). Five years ago, she fled the economic crisis in her native Venezuela and resettled in Peru. There, she sold empanadas while her husband worked construction.

RUDI HEREDIA: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: But Heredia explains that anti-government protests in January paralyzed Peru and cut off the flow of building supplies to much of the country. Her husband lost his construction job, so now they're on their way to the U.S.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Speaking Spanish).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: (Speaking Spanish).

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: For migrants here in Necocli, the path forward is especially daunting¹⁵. First, they'll have to make it across the Darien jungle in one piece. Then they'll have to navigate¹⁶ the onerous¹⁷ new U.S. immigration rules. Still, none of this has stopped Luis Flores (ph), who is heading north with several fellow Venezuelans.

LUIS FLORES: (Speaking Spanish).

OTIS: He says, "even if we get deported¹⁸ from the U.S. five times, we will come back five times."

For NPR News, I'm John Otis in Necocli, Colombia.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

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 treacherous   

adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的

参考例句：

• The surface water made the road treacherous for drivers.路面的积水对驾车者构成危险。
• The frozen snow was treacherous to walk on.在冻雪上行走有潜在危险。

3 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 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。

6 wharf   

n.码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• We fetch up at the wharf exactly on time.我们准时到达码头。
• We reached the wharf gasping for breath.我们气喘吁吁地抵达了码头。

7 navigating   

v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃

参考例句：

• These can also be very useful when navigating time-based documents, such as video and audio. 它对于和时间有关的文档非常有用，比如视频和音频文档。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Vehicles slowed to a crawl on city roads, navigating slushy snow. 汽车在市区路上行驶缓慢，穿越泥泞的雪地。 来自互联网

8 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

9 abate   

vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退

参考例句：

• We must abate the noise pollution in our city.我们必须消除我们城里的噪音污染。
• The doctor gave him some medicine to abate the powerful pain.医生给了他一些药，以减弱那剧烈的疼痛。

10 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

11 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。

12 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 lull   

v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇

参考例句：

• The drug put Simpson in a lull for thirty minutes.药物使辛普森安静了30分钟。
• Ground fighting flared up again after a two-week lull.经过两个星期的平静之后，地面战又突然爆发了。

14 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

15 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

16 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

17 onerous   

adj.繁重的

参考例句：

• My household duties were not particularly onerous.我的家务活并不繁重。
• This obligation sometimes proves onerous.这一义务有时被证明是艰巨的。

18 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》