VOA常速英语2007年-US Says Arrests of Illegal Immigrants at Mexica

By Cindy Saine
Washington
08 November 2007
 

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says measures, such as hiring more agents and installing hi-tech detectors¹, have resulted in 22 percent decrease in arrests of illegal immigrants along the southern U.S border with Mexico. He says this is a sign U.S. authorities are beginning to get control of the border. But a separate U.S. government audit² released this week found that thousands of illegal migrants made their way undetected through screening procedures at legal ports of entry, such as airports and land border crossings. VOA's Cindy Saine reports from Washington.

Over the past year, the Bush administration has stepped up raids on companies that employ undocumented workers, hired more border control agents, built fences and installed high-tech³ security devices along the southwestern border.

Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff says the tougher enforcement measures have led to more than a 20 percent drop in border arrests. "We are beginning to see a significant turn in the direction of migration⁴. We haven't completed the job yet, but we've made a significant first step and are reversing the tide of illegal migration between the ports of entry," he said.

Demetrios Papademetriou, president of the Migration Policy Institute, an independent, non-partisan research group based in Washington, agrees that real progress has been made in border security, but thinks only time will tell if the gains are lasting⁵.

"To take this progress and say that we're turning the tide is certainly an overstatement. There have been many times in the past 20 years or so that politicians have made similar claims, and six months later, a year later, you know, things turned again," he said.

Secretary Chertoff said that arrests in the interior of the United States were up substantially during fiscal⁶ year 2007, with criminal charges filed against 863 people, up from 716 the year before.

Despite the progress, a government audit released earlier this week found that thousands of illegal workers came in undetected through legal entry points, such as airports and land border crossings. The Government Accountability Office said weaknesses in U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations increase the potential that terrorists and criminals could enter the country. Auditors⁷ said they found border patrol officers suffered from morale⁸ problems, fatigue⁹ and lack of backup.

A Customs and Border Protection official acknowledged staffing shortages, but doubted that the agency had failed to catch thousands of violators.

Migration expert Demetrio Papademetrious downplayed the importance of the GAO audit report. "I tend to actually discount this particular study. There is a "gotcha" element to it, which of course captured headlines. But the fact remains¹⁰ that every time that you test these processes, individuals, sometimes in large numbers, will actually be able to pass through the system. In other words, there is no such thing as a hermetically-sealed border enforcement effort. There will never be such an effort. Not at the borders, not on airlines, not anywhere else," he said.

Some 400 million people cross U.S. borders each year, and authorities have been unable to screen all of them without disrupting U.S. travel and trade with Canada and Mexico.

1 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

2 audit   

v.审计；查帐；核对；旁听

参考例句：

• Each year they audit our accounts and certify them as being true and fair.他们每年对我们进行账务审核，以确保其真实无误。
• As usual,the yearly audit will take place in December.跟往常一样，年度审计将在十二月份进行。

3 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

4 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。

5 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

6 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

7 auditors   

n.审计员，稽核员( auditor的名词复数 )；（大学课程的）旁听生

参考例句：

• The company has been in litigation with its previous auditors for a full year. 那家公司与前任审计员已打了整整一年的官司。
• a meeting to discuss the annual accounts and the auditors' report thereon 讨论年度报表及其审计报告的会议

8 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

9 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。