移民人口增长影响美国大选

AS IT IS 2015-12-11 Rise in Immigrant Population Affecting US Elections 移民人口增长影响美国大选

Between 1990 and 2000, immigration to the United States increased greatly.

The immigrant population increased by 11.3 million to 31.1 million in that decade, according to U.S. Census³ data.

Many children born to those immigrants are now or will be 18 – the age Americans are eligible⁴ to vote. Any child born in the United States is a U.S. citizens, even if their parent is not in the country legally. They can vote when they reach 18, according to the U.S. Constitution.

The effect of that wave of immigration in the United States is significant. For one, more immigrants will be able to vote in 2016 than previous U.S. presidential elections.

For another, how immigration policy will be shaped is central to the 2016 presidential race.

Front-running Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump⁵ has focused his campaign on harsh speeches about immigrants.

He proposes building a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border to keep illegal immigrants out. He proposes deporting⁶ the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, though he says he would allow many to return.

In 2013, close to 47 percent of immigrants (19.3 million) were naturalized U.S. citizens, according to the Migration¹ Policy Institute. The remaining 53 percent (22.1 million) included legal permanent residents, unauthorized immigrants, and legal residents on temporary visas, such as students and temporary workers, the institute says.

Vincent Boudreau, dean of the Colin Powell School for Civic⁷ and Global Leadership at the City College of New York, says Trump has made immigration one of the major issues.

Says Boudreau: “In 2012, when American voters in New Hampshire and Iowa were asked about what issues are the most important to them, immigration didn’t make it to on their top five. And now it’s in the top three issues in those states, largely because Donald Trump insisted on putting it there.”

The immigration debate is fueled by fear of terrorism, as well. Tashfeen Malik, one of the suspects in the San Bernardino, California, mass shooting last week, entered the United States last year on a special visa for loved ones of U.S. citizens.

Malik entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa. It permits foreigners to travel to the United States and marry a U.S. citizen.

Malik and her husband, Syed Farook, are accused of killing⁸ 14 and injuring 21 at an education center. Farook was born in the United States. They were killed in a shootout with police after they fled the scene.

Some members of Congress say the San Bernardino shootings show that the visa program needs review. One of those asking for the review is Senator Ted² Cruz of Texas, who ranks second to Trump among Republican presidential candidates in the latest CNN/ORC poll.

But the extreme talk about immigration could hurt Republicans in the general election, analysts⁹ say.

 “Some of our community members may have stayed out of national politics,” says Steve McFarland, coordinator¹⁰ of the Long Island (New York) Civic Engagement Center. “But the tone of this debate has really galvanized a lot of Latinos.”

The Hispanic vote is credited with helping¹¹ push Barack Obama to his second-term win in 2012 over Republican presidential candidate Mitt¹² Romney.

Words in This Story

undocumented – adj.  not having the official documents that are needed to enter, live in, or work in a country legally

eligible – adj. able to be chosen for something

significant – adj. large enough to be noticed or have an effect

harsh – adj. unpleasant and difficult to accept or experience

insist – v. to demand that something happen or that someone do something

crackdown – n. a serious attempt to punish people for doing something that is not allowed

galvanized – v. to cause people to become so excited or concerned about an issue or idea that they want to do something about it

1 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。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

4 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 deporting   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的现在分词 )；举止

参考例句：

7 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

11 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

12 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。