美国国家公共电台 NPR Opinion: What The Death Of A 7-Year-Old Migrant Says About This Country

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

I do not doubt that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents did all they could to try to save the life of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl from Guatemala who died in their custody¹.

The little girl and her father were among a group of more than a hundred migrants who turned themselves over to Border Patrol agents last Thursday night, December 6, after they'd crossed the U.S.-Mexican border and trudged² through a rugged³, isolated⁴ area of the New Mexican desert.

The girl and her father were placed on a bus. She was reportedly not breathing by the time she arrived at a Border Patrol station, about eight hours after she'd been placed in custody. Emergency medical personnel found the little girl had not had food or water for days. She had a temperature of 105.7 degrees. She was flown by air ambulance to a hospital in El Paso, but less than a day later, Jakelin Caal Maquin died.

Border Patrol Commissioner⁵ Kevin McAleenan said the agents involved are deeply affected⁶ and empathize with the father over the loss of his daughter. We cannot stress enough the dangers posed by travelling long distances, in crowded transportation or in the natural elements through remote desert areas without food, water or other supplies.

I've reported stories on Border Patrol agents. I know many of them are fathers and mothers from families with their own migration⁷ stories. Many agents talk about the times they've had to rescue people stranded⁸ in deserts or forests after they've crossed the border or saved people who've been savaged⁹ by criminal gangs and smugglers.

There are thousands of children now in the custody of the U.S. government. Even if you hold the family of the 7-year-old girl responsible for putting her life in danger to cross into the United States, you may wonder, why was a 7-year-old girl who'd been taken in from the desert not given water or food for eight hours she was in U.S. custody? And how can the president, who often contends the United States has never been better, stronger or richer, be astonished when thousands of families in countries that are roiled¹⁰ by crime, drugs and poverty decide to set out for the United States, whatever the risks, because they see it as what Lincoln called, the last best hope, of Earth?

Jakelin Caal Maquin's father is now with a charity group in El Paso and told the Guatemalan Consul¹¹ he has no complaints about the way his daughter was treated by the Border Patrol or medical staff. The inspector¹² general's office of the Department of Homeland Security will investigate how Jakelin Caal Maquin died.

(SOUNDBITE OF HALLOWEEN, ALASKA SONG, "LIGHT BULB")

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

8 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

9 savaged   

（动物）凶狠地攻击（或伤害）( savage的过去式和过去分词 )； 残害； 猛烈批评； 激烈抨击

参考例句：

• The horse threw its rider to the ground and savaged him. 那马将骑马者摔在地上，乱踢他。
• The drink had savaged him. 酒使他变得野蛮。

10 roiled   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的过去式和过去分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• American society is being roiled by the controversy over homosexual marriage. 当今美国社会正被有关同性恋婚姻的争论搞得不得安宁。 来自互联网
• In the past few months, instability has roiled Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas. 在过去的几个月里，西藏和藏人居住区不稳定。 来自互联网

11 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

12 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。