美国国家公共电台 NPR As Congress Debates Immigration, DREAMers Are In Limbo Along With Their Families

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

There's a lot at stake in this immigration debate not just for the DREAMers but for all the parents, siblings² and other relatives who rely on them. NPR's Joel Rose has this profile of one DREAMer in Georgia who's gone public with his family's story.

JOEL ROSE, BYLINE³: Most days, Christian⁴ Olvera drives his parents to work. They live on a leafy street in Dalton, Ga. It's about a 15-minute drive to the family business. Christian Olvera is always the one behind the wheel.

CHRISTIAN OLVERA: I don't really think about it anymore. It's just - it's second nature now. It's no big deal.

ROSE: Olvera's parents know how to drive, but they're afraid to because they're in the country illegally. They don't have driver's licenses⁶. And in Georgia, that is a big deal. Driving without a license⁵ can get you arrested and even deported⁷. Olvera has taken on a lot of responsibility. He's 26 but looks even younger with curly black hair and a baby face.

OLVERA: People will ask me, you know, you still live with your parents? I'll say no. You know, my parents live with me (laughter).

ROSE: On paper, Olvera owns the family business. Even the house where they live is in his name. Olvera's mother and father arrived in the U.S. on a temporary visa almost 20 years ago and stayed. The family wants to share their story, but the parents asked not to be named because they fear being deported. Still, Olvera's mother says her family can have a better life here. If you're a respectful, educated, hardworking person, she says, the U.S. will always open its doors for you.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Speaking Spanish).

ROSE: It was a program known as DACA - or Deferred⁸ Action for Childhood Arrivals - that opened doors for the family by giving Christian Olvera and his brother temporary protection from deportation⁹. DREAMers often become the de facto ambassadors for their families in many aspects of daily life. The family bank accounts and credit cards are often in their names. They fill in for parents who are scared to attend parent-teacher conferences. They're able to go to college and get better jobs.

One study found that DACA improves the economic situation of almost two-thirds of these families. But now, those gains are in jeopardy¹⁰. The Trump¹¹ administration has moved to end DACA as soon as March, saying that Congress needs to come up with a replacement¹². Olvera says his protections would expire in August.

OLVERA: That's an expiration¹³ - I'm like a jug¹⁴ milk, man. It's marked down there, and you don't know what to do after that.

ROSE: Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans favor allowing DREAMers to stay in the country, but common ground in Washington has been hard to find. The White House has floated a plan that creates a pathway to citizenship¹⁵ for nearly 2 million DREAMers. That includes about 700,000 who are currently protected by DACA. In exchange, the Trump administration and hardliners in Congress want other concessions¹⁶.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DAVID PERDUE: Any solution on DACA has got to include border security, including a wall, and an end of chain migration¹.

ROSE: That's Republican Senator David Perdue of Georgia. He and President Trump want to allow in more immigrants with desirable skills. The current policy, which they call chain migration, emphasizes family reunification. That change could have big implications for the DREAMers and their parents. Immigration hardliners worry that if the DREAMers are allowed to become citizens, their families could, too. R.J. Hauman is with the Federation¹⁷ for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for much lower immigration levels.

R.J. HAUMAN: This is now a mass amnesty vehicle for many people that were brought here through no fault of their own. The fault has to lie somewhere, and that lies in the parents. And that's a huge issue again of why you have to end chain migration, so these people cannot turn around and sponsor the people who actually brought them here illegally.

ROSE: Even without legal status, the parents of many DACA recipients¹⁸ have found ways to build lives and businesses.

OLVERA: This is our small shop.

ROSE: In Mexico, Christian Olvera's father was an architect. When the family moved to Georgia, he worked in a carpet mill. Now the family owns a photography studio in Dalton. Olvera says his father started taking photos at birthday parties and weddings.

OLVERA: He took, you know, that design creativity and just started picking up photography here. And it's something that you could do freelance. And it grew into an idea. And then with DACA, it was fortified¹⁹ as a business.

ROSE: Olvera is helping²⁰ out with that family business for now. What he really wants is to go away to college, but he feels like he can't do that.

OLVERA: I'm just scared honestly of that one call saying, hey, your father has been, you know, detained. And what do I do? And I'm going to blame myself for that because I wasn't there to drive him.

ROSE: Christian Olvera says his family will be watching the immigration debate in Congress, but they'll keep building a life here no matter how it turns out. Joel Rose, NPR News, Dalton, Ga.

1 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。

2 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

3 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。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

7 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》

8 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

9 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

10 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。

11 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。

12 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。

13 expiration   

n.终结，期满，呼气，呼出物

参考例句：

• Can I have your credit card number followed by the expiration date?能告诉我你的信用卡号码和它的到期日吗?
• This contract shall be terminated on the expiration date.劳动合同期满，即行终止。

14 jug   

n.(有柄，小口，可盛水等的)大壶，罐，盂

参考例句：

• He walked along with a jug poised on his head.他头上顶着一个水罐，保持着平衡往前走。
• She filled the jug with fresh water.她将水壶注满了清水。

15 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。

16 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

17 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

18 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》

19 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。

20 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。