PBS高端访谈:今日的美国比起9/11,变得有多么安全了呢?

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF: And we are joined now by the man tasked with protecting the country from future terrorist attacks, among other things.

　　As secretary of homeland security, Jeh Johnson oversees¹ some 240,000 workers, spread across 22 government agencies. In addition to counterterrorism, he's responsible for everything from border security, to immigration and customs enforcement, to natural disasters.

　　Secretary Johnson, we welcome you back to the NewsHour.

　　JEH JOHNSON, Secretary of Homeland Security: Thank you, Judy. Good to be here.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So we're now 12-and-a-half years past 9/11. How much safer is the United States today than it was then?

　　JEH JOHNSON: Well, I think we have come a long way since 9/11, which happens to be my birthday, so I remember the day well. I'm a New Yorker. I was in Manhattan on September 11, 2001.

　　We have come a long way in terms of our counterterrorism efforts. I think we have learned how to do a pretty good job at detecting a number of terrorist threats to the homeland. But we have to be vigilant² in a number of respects.

　　Al-Qaida is now a much more decentralized entity³, with affiliates⁴. And we have to always be vigilant in terms of potential homegrown threats, the so-called lone⁵ wolf. And we saw an example of that with the Boston Marathon bombing last year.

　　So we have got to be vigilant on a number of fronts. I still believe that counterterrorism needs to be the cornerstone of the Department of Homeland Security's mission.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So, how much of the threats that worry you now are homegrown? What percentage or proportion are homegrown, and what proportion are external?

　　JEH JOHNSON: Well, I would hesitate to try to quantify it.

　　But I think that the potential for homegrown terrorist attacks is something that we have to be very concerned about, because, in many respects, it's harder to detect when you have an independent actor who may be living in our midst, in our own communities.

　　And so it's one of the reasons I spend a lot of time working with state and local law enforcement, talking to sheriffs, police chiefs, like I did as recently as two days ago. They're the first-responders. And so we spend a lot of time in the Department of Homeland Security working with them, training, grants, preparedness grants, and so forth⁶, because we are concerned about the homegrown terrorist base — homegrown domestic base threat, in addition to the potential threats from overseas.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: But it sounds like you're saying you feel more comfortable about that than you — than would have been the case a few years ago?

　　JEH JOHNSON: I think we have come a long way in terms of our ability to detect potential terrorist attacks in our counterterrorism efforts across the entirety of the U.S. government. But we have got to stay vigilant.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Let me ask you about some of the other issues that you have to work on every day.

　　One is immigration. While you wait for the Congress to decide what it's going to do one way or another about the question of immigration reform, we know the administration is looking at overhauling⁷ some aspects of your deportation⁸ policy, including undoing⁹ a program that really began in the Bush administration that targets undocumented immigrants who have been found guilty of only minor¹⁰ offenses¹¹ and who have no prior criminal record other than that.

　　Why is this particular policy something that deserves to be, that should be overhauled¹² or done away with?

　　JEH JOHNSON: Well, you're correct that we are evaluating our current enforcement priorities. That's something the president announced that he had asked me to do on March 13. I have been looking at this since I took office in late December.

　　Part of that, I believe, is taking a fresh look at the Secure Communities program, which is what you referred to a moment ago. In my judgment¹³, Secure Communities should be an efficient way to work with state and local law enforcement to reach the removal priorities that we have, those who are convicted of something.

　　The program has become very controversial. And I told a group of sheriffs and chiefs that I met with a couple days ago that I thought we needed a fresh start. And this is a conversation I have been having with a number of mayors and governors.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So could that happen in the near term?

　　JEH JOHNSON: I believe it — I believe it will and it should.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Can you give — say when?

　　JEH JOHNSON: We're in the midst of evaluating potential revisions to our policies right now. I have been having meetings as recently as today.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: I asked you because, of course, groups that are advocating for immigration reform and doing something about deportation have been raising a lot of questions.

　　There's another issue that immigration advocates, immigration reform advocates have focused on, and that is the so-called Deferred¹⁴ Action program that — where currently, as you know very well, this is a program that protects children who were brought in by parents illegally.

　　JEH JOHNSON: Yes.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: These pro-reform groups want to expand that to the parents, to the families of these children. Is this something the administration is looking seriously at?

　　JEH JOHNSON: We're looking at a wide variety of things.

　　And I have talked to a number of individuals, concerned groups about the potential for expanding the DACA program, revising our removal priorities. And I would say that we have to be careful not to preempt¹⁵ Congress in certain areas.

　　They are the lawmakers. Whatever we do in the executive branch, we have to do within the confines of existing law. So we have a fair amount of discretion¹⁶ when it comes to how we prioritize our enforcement activities.

　　And, two years ago, the administration developed the DACA program, which I think is a program that has been very effective. And…

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: This is for the children, only up to age 30.

　　JEH JOHNSON: This is for the children, correct.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Which — it sounds like you are saying, though, this is less likely to happen than what we were just discussing about…

　　JEH JOHNSON: I'm still in the midst of my review.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: All right.

　　Well, let me — let me turn around, because, meanwhile, while you are getting this kind of pressure from immigration reform advocates, there are those at the other side of the spectrum¹⁷ who think the administration hasn't done a good enough job with deportations, says you haven't been bringing enough cases to court, and they're critical from the other direction.

　　What do you say to them?

　　JEH JOHNSON: Well, first of all, I have learned from my Department of Defense¹⁸ experience that, when we're evaluating important reforms like this, we need to talk to people across the spectrum who have a variety of different opinions. And that's what I am doing.

　　So, I have spoken to those who are in the category you just described. And I have spoken to those who are advocating change. And I hope that whatever we do reflects a balanced, thoughtful approach that encompasses¹⁹ all these points of view you referred to.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally, Secretary Johnson, I wanted to ask you about — a question about border security.

　　Our public media colleagues at NPR have done a series of reports in the last few months looking at border security, whether there is a pattern of unnecessary use of deadly or excessive force. We know there's been an investigation²⁰.

　　Is this — do you — you have obviously looked at this. Do you believe the Border Patrol has used excessive force in a pattern that needs to be revamped, so that the policy needs to be revamped?

　　JEH JOHNSON: I have been now — in six months, I have been to the south border three times.

　　And I have spoken to our Border Patrol people on the front lines. I think they do a terrific job every single day. I have spoken to the chief of the Border Patrol. And what he and I decided²¹ we should do is make our use-of-force policies more transparent²². And the chief has modified those use-of-force policies to deal more explicitly²³ with incidents like rock-throwing, for example.

　　That change was made about two months ago. And I think it was greeted with a pretty positive reaction. So, I think we're in a better place.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: So, that's it for now in terms of revamping policy?

　　JEH JOHNSON: We're always continually evaluating whether we should revamp policy. I think the change we made about two months ago has been, I think, positively²⁴ received.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: The secretary of homeland security, Jeh Johnson, we thank you for joining us.

　　JEH JOHNSON: Thank you very much, Judy.

1 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

2 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

3 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

4 affiliates   

附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
• For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如，这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中，就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。

5 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 overhauling   

n.大修；拆修；卸修；翻修v.彻底检查( overhaul的现在分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• I had no chance of overhauling him. 我没有赶上他的可能。 来自辞典例句
• Some sites need little alterations but some need total overhauling. 有些网站需要做出细微修改，而有些网站就需要整体改版。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 undoing   

n.毁灭的原因，祸根；破坏，毁灭

参考例句：

• That one mistake was his undoing. 他一失足即成千古恨。
• This hard attitude may have led to his undoing. 可能就是这种强硬的态度导致了他的垮台。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

12 overhauled   

v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

14 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

15 preempt   

v.先发制人；先取

参考例句：

• We arrived early at the theatre so as to preempt the front seats.我们早早来到剧院，以便捷足先登占到前排座位。
• He pre-empted any decision to sack him.他预先阻止了所有解雇他的决定。

16 discretion   

n.谨慎；随意处理

参考例句：

• You must show discretion in choosing your friend.你择友时必须慎重。
• Please use your best discretion to handle the matter.请慎重处理此事。

17 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

18 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。

19 encompasses   

v.围绕( encompass的第三人称单数 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. 这项工作涉及的职责范围很广。
• Its conservation law encompasses both its magnitude and its direction. 它的守恒定律包括大小和方向两方面。 来自辞典例句

20 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

21 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

22 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

23 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

24 positively   

adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实

参考例句：

• She was positively glowing with happiness.她满脸幸福。
• The weather was positively poisonous.这天气着实讨厌。