時差N小時:移民改革 Immigration Reform

"Give me your tired, your poor...your huddledmasses yearning to breathe free...

擠在一起渴望自由呼吸的大眾，那熙熙攘攘的被遺棄了的，可憐的人們。把這些無家可歸的，飽受顛沛的人們一起交給我...

These words, written by American poet EmmaLazarus and inscribed at the base of the Statue ofLiberty, encouraged immigration to America in theearly years of the twentieth century. For decades, asteady stream of immigrants arrived andassimilated themselves into American life.

這是愛瑪·拉扎露絲寫的十四行詩，被雕刻在自由女神像底座上，用以鼓勵移民來到在上世紀早期的美國。幾十年過去了，移民們源源不斷的涌進并融入到美國生活中。

But by the mid 1970s, Congress was hearing from Americans who believed they were losingjobs to illegal aliens. Senator Alan Simpson and Representative Romano Mazzoli proposed whatcame to be known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act. It imposedsanctions on employers who hired undocumented aliens, while making allowances for aliensalready living and working in the U.S. Not everyone was in favor of this bill.

但是到20世紀70年代，國會聽證了來自美國人的證詞，他們認為工作機會正向非法移民轉移。參議員阿蘭·辛普森以及國會代表 Romano Mazzoli 建議進行移民改革，后來發(fā)展為眾所周知的 Simpson-Mazzoli 移民改革和控制法案。這條法案對雇傭非法移民的雇主實行制裁，同時為已經(jīng)移居美國的移民發(fā)放津貼。但這項法案并不是對所有人都有利。

Some believed it would handle illegal immigrants in an arbitrary fashion, and hurt localbusinessmen. Others thought it would prove to be too be costly, and in the end, ineffective.The Simpson-Mazzoli bill was ultimately signed into law on November 7, 1986.

有人認為這是以一種獨斷專行的方式處理非法移民問題，同時也損害了地方商人的利益。其他人則認為這是一項吃力不討好的決策。最終 Simpson-Mazzoli 法案于1986年被簽署成為法律。

A delicate compromise, passed after five years of trying, the new law didn't solve theproblems of immigration, but alleviated them. Immigration policies that challenge Congresstoday are even more complex… balancing new security issues with the desire to preserve thediversity and strength that immigrants bring.

經(jīng)過五年的努力，法案通過了微妙的妥協(xié)。最新的法律并沒有解決移民問題，但卻緩和了矛盾。如今國會面臨的移民政策的挑戰(zhàn)愈加復雜...移民會帶來多樣性和新的力量，在這樣的愿景下權衡新出現(xiàn)的安全問題。