2007年VOA标准英语-Pro-Immigrant Leaders Voice Concerns Over US Re

By Brian Wagner
Miami
24 May 2007

Immigrant advocacy groups are raising concerns that a U.S. Senate reform bill may not benefit foreign workers as promised. In Miami, VOA's Brian Wagner reports that pro-immigrant leaders fear the measures may place undue¹ burdens on mostly Hispanic immigrants and their families.

Immigrant rally in Los Angeles

Several pro-immigrant groups are speaking out about the Senate bill that seeks to address problems in U.S. border security and the status of some 12 million illegal immigrants in the country.

President Bush and supporters of immigration reform say the bill is needed to help fix a broken immigration system. Proposed measures include tougher border security, a guest worker program, and a path for undocumented workers to gain legal status in the U.S.

Lawmakers have engaged in fierce debates about the proposals, especially measures that would change entry requirements and visas for foreign workers, and require undocumented workers to return to their home countries to apply for a green card, or residence permit. A vote on the bill is expected within weeks.

Douglas Rivlin, director of communications for the pro-immigrant National Immigration Forum² in Washington, says proposed changes to visa policy mark a reversal of earlier U.S. policy. "What the Senate is debating is a pretty radical³ departure from the way America has done immigration for the last 40 years or so," he said.

Rivlin says U.S. visa policy has long emphasized an immigrant's ties to the United States through family or work connections. He says a proposal to score visa applicants⁴ on criteria⁵ such as English-speaking ability, education or profession may end up favoring skilled workers over those with few or no skills. The result could be a shortage of workers for farming, construction and other jobs that are currently filled by many undocumented immigrants.

Leaders of the Roman Catholic church in Miami have taken issue with the Senate bill for failing to emphasize the importance of keeping migrant families intact. Randy McGrorty, director of Miami Catholic Legal Service, called on lawmakers to reconsider proposals that would grant visas to guest workers but not to their spouses⁷ or children.

"It has been a cornerstone of our immigration policy since the 1920s that families get preference to reunify. That needs to be rethought because that policy would go away if these new proposals are enacted," he said.

Another controversial measure under consideration by the Senate is the creation of two-year renewable visas for foreign guest workers. Wednesday, senators voted to halve⁸ the number of proposed visas under the guest worker system, cutting it to 200,000 because of uncertainty⁹ about its potential impact.

Several labor¹⁰ unions, whose members include many Hispanic immigrants, have said the guest worker program would create a so-called underclass of workers with few legal protections. Michael Wilson, vice⁶ president of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, says the temporary status of guest workers makes them vulnerable to being underpaid, injured on the job, or being forced into debt by their employers. He spoke¹¹ Thursday to members of the House of Representatives, who are considering their own immigration reforms.

"To suggest that a new guest worker program can be constructed with adequate workplace protections is disingenuous¹² and flies in the face of history and current practices," he said.

President Bush has defended the Senate proposal as a way to reduce illegal immigration and improve legal immigration opportunities for foreign workers. In a news conference Thursday, he said he understands some of the immigration measures are controversial.

"But if you're serious about securing our borders, and bringing millions of illegal immigrants in this country out of the shadows, this bipartisan bill is the best opportunity to move forward," he said.

President Bush has said he would like to sign a comprehensive immigration reform before the end of the year.

Senators are continuing to debate the reforms and may make additional changes to their bill before it reaches a possible vote in coming weeks. If approved, it would have to be reconciled with a possible House bill.

1 undue   

adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的

参考例句：

• Don't treat the matter with undue haste.不要过急地处理此事。
• It would be wise not to give undue importance to his criticisms.最好不要过分看重他的批评。

2 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

3 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

4 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

5 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

6 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

7 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

8 halve   

vt.分成两半，平分；减少到一半

参考例句：

• Let's halve the project between our two teams.让我们两个队平均分担这项工程吧。
• I'll halve expenses with you.我要跟你平均分摊费用。

9 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

10 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

11 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

12 disingenuous   

adj.不诚恳的，虚伪的

参考例句：

• It is disingenuous of him to flatter me.他对我阿谀奉承，是居心叵测。
• His brother Shura with staring disingenuous eyes was plotting to master the world.他那长着一对狡诈眼睛的哥哥瑞拉，处心积虑图谋征服整个世界。