《经济学人》:得州非法移民惨案,53人死亡?

《经济学人》:得州非法移民惨案,53人死亡?

原文标题:

People-smuggling

A tragedy in Texas

Why More migrants have been dying

人口走私

得州惨案

为什么有越来越多的非法移民死亡


A dangerous path

The deaths of 53 people in Texas highlight the perils of migration

Nearly 4,000 people have died trying to cross America’s border with Mexico since 2014

一条危险的路

53人死于得州,显现出了移民的危险性

自2014年以来,近4000人在试图穿越美墨边境时死亡


[Paragraph 1]

It was a gruesome discovery: the bodies of at least 46 people, found abandoned in a lorry in the baking 37°C heat of San Antonio, Texas, on June 27th. Seven more have died since.

这是一件骇人听闻的惨案:6月27日,在得克萨斯州圣安东尼奥的一辆卡车上发现了至少46具尸体。当时气温高达37摄氏度。此后又有7人死亡。


There was no air conditioning inside; corpses were reportedly dusted in steak seasoning to mask the smell.

车内没开空调;据报道,尸体被撒上了牛排调味料以掩盖气味。


Over a dozen survivors, suffering from heat exhaustion, were rushed to hospital.

十几个人从这场中暑中死里逃生,被紧急送往医院。


The tragedy was one of the deadliest incidents in recent decades related to people-smuggling along America’s border with Mexico—among the most lethal land borders in the world.

这是美墨边境近几十年来最大的人口走私惨案之一——美墨边境是陆地上最危险的边境之一。



[Paragraph 2]

As illegal crossings at the border have surged, so has the number of deaths.

随着非法入境人数的激增,死亡人数也在攀升。


In the past fiscal year, ending on September 30th 2021, border-patrol officers reported 1.7m encounters with migrants at the border, the highest annual total.

截至2021年9月30日,即上一财年,美国的边境巡查员报告称,共逮捕了170万非法移民。这也是全年总数最高的一年。


At least 651 people died while attempting the journey last year, the largest toll since the International Organisation for Migration started keeping track in 2014.

去年,至少有651人在试图穿越边境时死亡,这是自2014年国际移民组织开始进行统计以来,死亡人数最多的一年。


Many drown in the Rio Grande; hyperthermia is another big killer.

许多人溺亡于格兰德河;而高温则是另一大死因。


[Paragraph 3]

More people attempting the journey is one reason why deaths have risen.

非法入境人数增多是死亡人数上升的一大原因。


Another is that crossing has become more perilous.

另一大原因是,穿越边境时的危险性越来越高。


Researchers at the University of Arizona have analysed records from the medical examiner’s office in Pima County, in southern Arizona, to chart the rising fatality rate among migrants over the past three decades.

亚利桑那大学的研究人员通过分析该州南部皮马县验尸官的工作档案,绘制出了一张图表。图上显示,过去30年来移民死亡率不断攀升。


Between 2000 and 2005, the office logged the remains of 32 migrants on average per 100,000 apprehensions by border patrols (a proxy for unauthorised migration).

根据该地的记录,在2000-2005之间,边境巡逻队逮捕的每10万个非法移民中就平均有32人死亡(这对于非法移民问题具有代表性)。


That rose to 95 per 100,000 in 2006-13, and to 244 in 2014-20.

2006-2013年,死亡人数升至每十万人95人,2014-2020年,该数字为244人。



[Paragraph 4]

The rising fatality rate is a perverse consequence of America’s border policies, which have made illegal crossing harder.

美国的边境政策使得非法入境难度提高,可惜产生了反效果,造成了死亡率的提升。


In 1994 the US Border Patrol launched a strategy known as “prevention through deterrence”.

1994年,美国边境巡逻队出台了一项名为“威慑预防”的战略。


Authorities clamped down on popular urban passageways, such as those between San Diego and Tijuana, and El Paso and Ciudad Juárez.

美国当局严厉打击通过热门的城市通道非法入境,例如圣地亚哥蒂华纳之间,以及埃尔帕索和华雷斯城之间的通道。


To avoid detection, migrants increasingly take longer, more arduous routes.

为了不被发现,非法移民所选择的路线越来越长,越来越艰险。


Trips through the Sonoran Desert, for example, take on average 2.4 days on foot, raising the risk of fatal heat exhaustion.

例如,穿越索诺兰沙漠平均需要步行2.4天,这就增加了中暑死亡的风险。


“We did believe that geography would be an ally for us,” remarked the head of the agency overseeing the border during the 1990s.

20世纪90年代,监管边境机构的一名负责人表示,“我们着实相信地理环境会助我们一臂之力。”


“It was our sense that the number of people crossing through the Arizona desert would go down to a trickle once people realised what [it’s] like.’’

“我们觉得,一旦有人意识到亚利桑那州沙漠的环境有多险恶,那么穿过那里的人数就会减少。”


[Paragraph 5]

Policies limiting entry by legal channels have probably encouraged illegal crossings, too.

从合法通道进入美国也受到政策限制。这推动了非法入境的发生。


During the pandemic America has been expelling migrants without offering them the chance to apply for asylum, on public-health grounds.

新冠疫情期间,美国一直在驱逐移民。他们以公共卫生为由,不给移民申请庇护的机会。


The Biden administration has unsuccessfully tried to end the policy, known as Title 42.

拜登政府试图终止这项名为“42号令”的法案,但几经波折。


But 21 Republican states sued to block it, and courts have kept it in place pending litigation.

针对该法案的终止,21个共和党州提起了诉讼。法院已保留该案件,以待诉讼。


(恭喜读完,本篇英语词汇量约559左右)

原文出自:2022年7月2日《The Economist》United States版块。

精读笔记来源于:自由英语之路

本文翻译整理:Fei Min

本文编辑校对: Irene
仅供个人英语学习交流使用。



【补充资料】(来自于网络)

美国得克萨斯州南部圣安东尼奥市长尼伦伯格2022年6月27日晚说,执法人员当天在一辆大货车车厢里发现46名移民死亡,另有16人被从车内救出后送往医院。


数据显示,2021年,美国执法部门在美墨边境逮捕非法移民约170万人次,包括14.5万名儿童。美国上届政府强制施行的“骨肉分离”政策,导致超过2800名移民儿童被迫与父母分离。有关羁押设施内部管理混乱,侵犯人权现象屡屡发生。近几年,在美国被羁押的26.6万名移民儿童中,2.5万人的羁押时间超过100天。去年9月,美边境警察骑马挥鞭粗暴驱赶海地难民,遭到广泛谴责。


T42:“第42条”移民驱逐令,是由美国前总统特朗普在北美新冠疫情爆发时签署,特朗普称这是将新冠病毒排除在美国之外的一种方式,即禁止非法进入美国的人寻求庇护,而是立即将他们驱逐到墨西哥


据政府官员和知情人士透露,拜登政府正准备在今年夏天对美国南部边境进行重大政策调整,拜登政府计划在7月底前停止对移民家庭实施这项紧急命令。结束“第42条” 移民驱逐令意味着什么呢?——美国的国门将不设防地打开,所有人都可以涌入美国!美国国土安全部预计,每天将有超过1.8万人涌入美国,每个月将有超过50万人涌入,比去年的规模高出3倍左右。


【重点句子】(3个)

Over a dozen survivors, suffering from heat exhaustion, were rushed to hospital.

十几个人从这场中暑中死里逃生,被紧急送往医院。


Another is that crossing has become more perilous.

另一大原因是,穿越边境时的危险性越来越高。


To avoid detection, migrants increasingly take longer, more arduous routes.

为了不被发现,非法移民所选择的路线越来越长,越来越艰险。

自由英语之路