美国有线新闻 CNN 2016-8-18（在线收听）

AZUZ: The U.S. Supreme Court is now hearing arguments in a case related to President Obama's controversial executive action on immigration. The president denounced the action in 2014. It allows millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally to stay without the threat of being deported.

阿祖兹：美国最高法院正在就奥巴马总统备受争议的移民行政令听取辩论。总统于2014年提出该行政令。允许美国境内数百万非法移民留在美国，免遭遣返。

They could apply for work programs and other benefits, as long as they paid taxes.

只要这些非法移民缴税，就可以申请工作，享受其他福利。

Twenty-six states sued the government over this. The Obama administration says its action is legal, and like those of previous presidents on immigration. But no executive action has ever impacted this many people before. And executive actions don't go through Congress. Critics say this one in particular should.

目前已有26个州对这一行政令提起诉讼。奥巴马政府表示，该行政令与历任总统就移民问题颁布的行政令一样，是合法的。但是此前没有任何一个行政令对这么多人产生影响。行政令不用经过国会批准。批评人士表示，这个行政令尤其需要经过国会审议。

Another aspect to this — the Supreme Court is divided. Four of the justices were appointed by Republican presidents, four by Democratic presidents.

另一方面，美国最高法院存在分歧。四名最高法院法官由共和党总统任命，另外四名法官由民主党总统任命。

Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died suddenly in February and his potential replacements have been held up in Congress. So, if the high court rules 4-4 on this issue, the ruling of the lower court stands, and that court blocked the president's action on immigration.

今年2月，保守派法官安东宁·斯卡利亚突然去世，而可能替代他的人选被国会搁置。所以，如果最高法院的裁决出现4比4的僵局，那低级别法院的判决就仍有效，而低级别法院的决定是阻止总统的移民行政令。

This isn't the only debate happening right now on this issue.

这不是该问题目前引发的唯一争论。

REPORTER: H-1B sounds like an airplane, or an exotic disease. They're actually visas and these visas are one of the most controversial parts of the immigration debate. Huge tech giants like Facebook and Google call them essential to their business, but critics say companies are exploiting them at the expense of the American worker.

记者：H-1B听起来像飞机或是外来病的名字。实际上H-1B是一种签证，这类签证是移民问题争论中最具争议的一个方面。脸谱网和谷歌等科技巨头称这类签证对他们的业务来说必不可少，但是批评人士认为，这些公司这样做是在牺牲美国工人的利益。

So, what exactly are the H-1B visas?

那到底什么是H-1B签证？

Congress created them in 1992 to bring in highly educated and specialized foreign workers into the country.

H-1B签证由美国国会在1992年推出，目的是将教育程度高的外国专业技术人员引进美国。

GEORGE H.W. BUSH, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: This bill provides for vital increases for entry on the basis of skills, infusing the ranks of our scientists and engineers.

美国前总统乔治·布什：这项法案将大幅增加进入美国的技术人才，加入到我们国家的科学家和工程师的行列中。

REPORTER: They're supposed to fill shortages — think computer programmers, engineers, doctors.

记者：他们要弥补计算机程序员、工程师和医生等岗位的不足。

Around 85,000 are allotted a year and they last up to six years, plus a possible extension. To get one, you have to be educated. Ninety-nine percent of H-1B workers have at least a bachelor's degree and over a half have advanced degrees.

H-1B签证每年分配约8.5万个名额，有效期最多六年，期满后可以延长。要想得到H-1B签证，你必须要接受教育。拿到H-1B签证的工作者中，有99%的人至少拥有学士学位，超过一半的人拥有高等学位。

So, why are H-1Bs are controversial?

那H-1B签证为什么备受争议？

Well, critics claim the companies aren't using them to fill shortages. They say the companies are actually bringing in foreign workers so they can pay them less than American workers, and it wasn't mean to work this way.

批评人士称，各公司不会让这些技术人员弥补不足。他们说公司实际上只是为了引进外国人员，这样可以支付他们少于美国雇员的工资，而H-1B签证的本意并不是这样。

To protect American workers from exactly what critics are accusing the companies of doing now, the law was set up to require a, quote-unquote, "prevailing wage". That's a number calculated for each job by the Department of Labor. But critics say that that number, it's rife for loopholes and abuse.

为了保护美国雇员免遭批评人士所指责的各公司的做法，出台了“现行工资”这一法律。“现行工资”是美国劳工部为各个工作核算的工资。但是批评人士指出，这些数字充满了漏洞和滥用情况。

Another problem for, quote-unquote, "specialized hard to fill jobs" sometimes aren't. Around 50 percent of H-1Bs are going to computer programmers, but they've also been used for sports coaches, ranch workers, preschool teachers.

另一个问题是，有时并不会出现“专业人才难以填补职位空缺”的情况。获得H-1B签证的人中，有约50%的人将从事计算机程序员的工作，但是他们也会从事体育教练、农场工人和幼儿教师等工作。

And it's not just American workers who can be hurt by their misuse. Employers hold incredible leverage over H-1B visa holders. Some have described the workers as indentured servants because an H-1B worker needs to have a job to stay in the country. Complain about working conditions?

不是只有美国雇员会因这种滥用情况受伤。雇主对H-1B签证持有者有制衡作用。有些人称这些工作者是契约劳工，因为H-1B签证持有者要想留在美国就必须要有工作。抱怨工作条件？

You could lose your jobs and be forced to leave the country.

那你可能会失去工作，然后被迫离开美国。

So, here we are, tech companies want more H-1Bs, critics want reform. Will Silicon Valley get its way?

所以，科技公司希望引进更多持有H-1B签证的人，但是批评人士想要进行改革。硅谷会达到自己的目的吗？