PBS高端访谈:联合国抨击美国边境做法不合情理（在线收听）

JUDY WOODRUFF: There were fresh calls today for the Trump administration to end its policy of separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

William Brangham begins our coverage.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The numbers show the scope of the crisis. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's own figures, more than 650 children were separated from their parents at the border during a two-week period in May. Just today in Geneva, the U.N. Office for Human Rights condemned the situation.

RAVINA SHAMSADANI, Spokeswoman, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: There is nothing normal about detaining children. The U.S. should immediately halt this practice of separating families and stop criminalizing what should at most be an administrative offense.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: These separations are occurring in large part because, in April, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero tolerance policy at the border. Sessions directed authorities to criminally prosecute all instances of illegal border crossings. Under past administrations, these were usually treated as civil cases. The Department of Justice correctly points out that its new policy makes no mention of separating families, but, under criminal proceedings, children cannot stay with their parents, so they are separated. During an appearance today on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, Sessions again defended the policy.

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. Attorney General: If people don't want to be separated from their children, they should not bring them with them. We have got to get this message out. You're not given immunity. You have to, you will be prosecuted if you bring，if you come illegally. And if you bring children, you will still be prosecuted.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Democrats and immigration rights groups argue these separations are the clear intention of administration policy, but President Trump blames Democrats, tweeting: Separating families at the border is the fault of bad legislation passed by the Democrats. Border security laws should be changed, but the Dems can't get their act together. The president is likely referring to laws passed under previous administrations, including one OKed unanimously by Congress in 2008, and signed by President George W. Bush. It called for releasing immigrant children into the least restrictive setting while their cases went through immigration court. All this led Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley to visit the Texas border region Sunday. Video showed his attempt to enter a federal facility where some of these immigrant children were being held. He was denied entry, the police were eventually called, and Merkley was told to leave.

SEN.JEFF MERKLEY (D), Oregon: They don't want anyone to know about what's going on behind those doors.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the children, accused Merkley of grandstanding. For the PBS NewsHour I'm William Brangham.

朱蒂·伍德拉夫：今天又有新的呼吁，让特朗普政府结束在美墨边境分裂家庭成员的政策。威廉·博拉汉姆首先为我们报道。

威廉·博拉汉姆：这些数字显示了危机的范围。根据美国海关与边境保护局所提供的数据，五月份，两周内，超过650名儿童在边境与父母分离。就在今天日内瓦城，联合国人权办公室对此行为进行了谴责。

拉维纳·萨马达尼，女发言人，联合国人权事务高级专员：拘留儿童绝不正常。美国应该立即停止这种分裂家庭的做法，停止犯罪行为，这甚至可以说是行政违法行为。

威廉·博拉汉姆：这些分歧在很大程度上是因为，四月，司法部长杰夫·塞申斯宣布在边境上实行零容忍政策。塞申斯指导当局对所有非法越境行为进行刑事起诉。在过去的行政执法中，这些案件通常被视为民事案件。司法部明确指出，它的新政策并没有提及要分裂家庭，但是，在刑事诉讼中，儿童不能与父母呆在一起，所以他们是分开的。今天在休·休伊特的广播节目中，塞申斯出镜，再次为此项政策进行辩护。

杰夫·塞申斯，美国司法部长：如果人们不想与子女分离，他们就不应该带他们去。我们必须把这个消息传达出去。你没有得到豁免权。你必须，如果你带来，你将被起诉，如果你非法入境。如果你带了孩子，你仍然会被起诉。

威廉·博拉汉姆：民主党和移民权利组织认为，这些分离是政府政策的明确意图，但特朗普总统发推指责民主党人：在边境分离家庭正是由于民主党此前通过了糟糕的立法。边境安全法应该得到改变，但民主党无法做到齐心协力。总统很可能指的是若干前任政府所通过的法律，包括2008年度国会一致通过，并由小布什总统签署的法案。它呼吁将移民子女放在限制性最低的环境中，而他们的案件则通过移民法庭审理。这一切促使俄勒冈州民主党参议员杰夫·莫克雷在周日抵达德克萨斯边境。影像显示，他试图进入扣押部分移民儿童的联邦机构。他的进入遭到拒绝，最终叫来警察，告知其离开。

参议员杰夫·莫克雷，俄勒冈州：他们不想让任何人知道这些门背后发生的事情。

威廉·博拉汉姆：美国健康与人类服务部负责监管这些儿童，其发言人指责莫克雷哗众取宠。PBS新闻一小时，我是威廉·博拉汉姆。