美国国家公共电台 NPR--With Title 42 set to end, questions loom about the future of migrants and asylum

With Title 42 set to end, questions loom¹ about the future of migrants and asylum²

Transcript³

Just across the border from South Texas, hundreds of migrants are living in small, makeshift camps scattered⁴ around Reynosa, Mexico.

Many are hoping to apply for asylum in the U.S. but they're blocked, for now, by the pandemic border restrictions⁵ known as Title 42, which allows immigration authorities to quickly expel many migrants without allowing them to apply for asylum while in the U.S.

There's a lot of confusion in the camp about Title 42 and whether it's really ending or not on Dec. 21, as ordered by a federal judge.

"People know it ain't going to be easy for us," says Nicodemus Pierre-Louis, who is originally from Haiti. "We don't really know. We're just waiting to see what's going to happen."

Another Haitian, who identifies himself only by his first name, Kendis, says he's eager to cross the border as soon as Title 42 is lifted.

"I need asylum," he says in Spanish. "If I'm allowed to apply for asylum, I'm going. No problem."

There's some confusion on this side of the border, too. The federal judge who ordered the policy to come to a close ruled that the Title 42 is unlawful. The ruling was hailed as a victory by immigrant advocates, who have long argued that Title 42 was intended to block access to asylum protections under the pretense⁶ of protecting public health during the worst parts of the pandemic.

The Biden administration said this week that it will appeal that ruling, but will not seek to keep Title 42 in place while the case plays out. The appeal, instead, is about preserving the legal authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency that originally instituted the policy, says an administration official who asked not to be named because they were not authorized⁷ to speak for this story.

With the restrictions set to lift in less than two weeks, federal and local officials are bracing⁸ for an influx⁹ of migrants who've been waiting in border communities from Reynosa to Tijuana. That looming¹⁰ deadline has also prompted Congress and the White House to float proposals to extend Title 42, or limit access to asylum in other ways. And immigrant advocates say they worry that the right to seek asylum is still in jeopardy¹¹.

Comparisons to Trump¹²'s asylum policies

In particular, advocates are concerned that the Biden administration is considering an asylum policy similar to one originally devised by the administration of former President Donald Trump, as reported by Axios and other outlets¹³.

That was known as the transit¹⁴ ban. It would have denied asylum to migrants if they had already passed through other countries on the way to the U.S. without first seeking protection in those countries. It was eventually blocked in court.

"It's deeply disappointing that they could even be considering this policy," says Robyn Barnard, a lawyer with the non-profit Human Rights First during a call with reporters this week. "If the administration makes the mistake of going down this path, we will fight tooth and nail against it, again."

The White House disputes that the policies under discussion now would work the same way as Trump's transit ban. The Biden administration prefers to compare the proposals under consideration to a new program for Venezuelans that was announced in October.

In that case, the administration created a legal pathway for up to 24,000 Venezuelans, but only those who apply from outside the U.S. qualify. At the same time, the administration began turning away Venezuelans under Title 42 if they crossed the border illegally.

Asylum system under strain

Immigration hardliners have been trying for years to limit who can apply for asylum. They argue that many migrants are abusing the U.S. system because they know they'll be able to live and work in the country for years while waiting for their claims to be heard in immigration court.

"If the asylum system is not fixed¹⁵, this won't end," said U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio, during a congressional hearing earlier this month. "We've got a crisis. And if we don't fix this crisis at the border, we'll continue to see these same results."

That echoes the rhetoric¹⁶ of the Trump administration, which tried a broad range of policies to limit access to asylum.

The Biden administration has launched a new system aimed at deciding asylum claims more quickly, with asylum officers at the Department of Homeland Security hearing some cases initially¹⁷ instead of first sending them to overloaded¹⁸ immigration judges.

But that's still a relatively¹⁹ small pilot program, while the number of migrant apprehensions²⁰ climbed to record levels last year, straining the resources of immigration authorities and border communities.

A possible extension of Title 42

U.S. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, a (soon-to-be former) Democrat²¹ from Arizona, and Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, reportedly want to continue Title 42 restrictions temporarily as a part of a broader deal that would also dedicate more funds for border security and create a pathway to citizenship²² for young immigrants known as Dreamers.

Their proposal got a chilly²³ reception from Senate Republicans, who want to see border apprehensions come down from their near-record highs before considering any reforms to the immigration system.

Meanwhile, immigrant advocates welcomed the idea of bipartisan negotiations²⁴, but not the extension of Title 42.

"If we just keep trying to extend Title 42, we're only putting a Band-Aid on what is something that just needs far greater attention," says Angela Kelley, a former Biden administration advisor²⁵ who's now with the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Many of the migrants coming to the border are fleeing failed states in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti, Kelley says. She wants to see the Biden administration open more legal pathways so that these migrants don't have to cross the border illegally, citing the new program for Venezuelans as an example.

"If you create legal pathways for people, people would much rather come with, you know, a visa than with a smuggler," Kelley says, "rather than just trying to build either metaphorical²⁶ or actual walls to keep people out. That won't work."

1 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

2 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。

3 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。

4 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

5 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

6 pretense   

n.矫饰，做作，借口

参考例句：

• You can't keep up the pretense any longer.你无法继续伪装下去了。
• Pretense invariably impresses only the pretender.弄虚作假欺骗不了真正的行家。

7 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。

8 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

9 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

10 looming   

n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• The foothills were looming ahead through the haze. 丘陵地带透过薄雾朦胧地出现在眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they looked up. Looming above them was Mount Proteome. 接着他们往上看，在其上隐约看到的是蛋白质组山。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 回顾与展望

11 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

12 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

13 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

15 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

16 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。

17 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

18 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

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 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。

21 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。

22 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

23 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

24 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

25 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

26 metaphorical   

a.隐喻的，比喻的

参考例句：

• Here, then, we have a metaphorical substitution on a metonymic axis. 这样，我们在换喻（者翻译为转喻，一种以部分代替整体的修辞方法）上就有了一个隐喻的替代。
• So, in a metaphorical sense, entropy is arrow of time. 所以说，我们可以这样作个比喻：熵像是时间之矢。