2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Renews Call for US Immigration Reform

By Paula Wolfson
White House
09 April 2007

President Bush is making a renewed push for big changes in U.S. immigration laws. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports it is one major issue where Mr. Bush believes he can work well with the new Democratic Party majority in Congress.

President George Bush makes remarks on comprehensive immigration reform, 09 Apr 2007, in Yuma, Arizona

The president says now is the time for comprehensive immigration reform.

"This is a matter of national interest and it is a matter of deep conviction for me," he said. "I have been working to bring Republicans and Democrats¹ together to resolve outstanding issues so that Congress can pass a comprehensive bill and I can sign it into law this year."

Mr. Bush spoke² in Yuma, Arizona, a town close to the U.S. border with Mexico. It is an area that sees numerous crossings - many of them by illegal immigrants trying to sneak³ into the United States without getting caught.

The president has said more needs to be done to enhance security on the border. And during his visit - the second to Yuma in less than a year - he saw some of the latest innovations in border enforcement.

He was briefed on the un-manned planes used for aerial surveillance, visited a patrol station, and inspected two layers of fencing recently erected⁴ along one segment of the border.

President Bush said enforcement is key.

"Past efforts at reform did not do enough to secure our nation's borders," he said. "As a result, many people have been able to sneak into this country. If you do not man your borders and do not protect your borders, people are going to sneak in and that is what has been happening for a long time."

But the president said enforcement is only part of the answer.

Once again, he stressed the need for a guest worker program, and steps that would enable some illegal immigrants to apply for legal status with strict conditions. Mr. Bush said that will help American employers who have jobs no one else will do, will free up border agents to chase criminals, and will curb⁵ abuses by smugglers who ask a high price for passage across the border often under horrific conditions.

"If you want to take the pressure off your border, have a temporary worker program," he said. "It will help reduce not only the number of people coming across the border, but it will do something about the inhumane treatment that these people are subjected to."

President Bush tried and failed to get a comprehensive reform package through Congress in the past legislative⁶ session when it was under the control of his Republican Party. It was blocked primarily by conservatives who wanted a focus strictly⁷ on tough enforcement measures. They pushed through a bill to fortify⁸ the border, which Mr. Bush signed last October.

Democrats have been more open to steps that would help would-be immigrants work in the country legally. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi has warned support among members of her party is not universal. And she has told the president she can not pass comprehensive reform without some Republican votes.

The president told a crowd of border agents and others in Yuma that he remains⁹ optimistic.

"We will continue to work with members of both political parties," he said. "I think the atmosphere up there is good right now. I think people generally want to come together and put a good bill together."

But hanging over the debate on immigration is the escalating¹⁰ dispute over funding for the Iraq war.

The dispute has soured relations between the White House and Congress, but Bush administration officials say they believe a good immigration bill is still possible.

A White House spokesman told reporters traveling to Yuma with the president that even though the war dominates the headlines, there is still of a lot of quiet work going on behind the scenes on issues like immigration.

1 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

4 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

6 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

7 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

8 fortify   

v.强化防御，为…设防；加强，强化

参考例句：

• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
• This treaty forbade the United States to fortify the canal.此条约禁止美国对运河设防。

9 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。

10 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句