VOA标准英语2010-Obama Concerned About Tough New Arizona I

Standing¹ in front of members of law enforcement Gov. Jan Brewer², the Republican Arizona governor, talks about signing immigration bill SB1070 into law Friday, April 23, 2010, in Phoenix³

A tough new immigration law has been enacted⁴ in the Southwestern U.S. state of Arizona.  U.S. President Barack Obama calls the crackdown misguided.   

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed legislation Friday that has been described as one of America's toughest immigration laws.

The new law requires police in Arizona to question people about their immigration status if there is reason to suspect they are in the country illegally.  Immigrants are now required to carry registration⁵ documents at all times.

Governor Brewer said drug violence in Mexico, along Arizona's southern border, has forced her to act, to protect the people of her state. "We in Arizona have been more than patient, waiting for Washington to act.  But decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation," she said.

Earlier, at the White House, President Obama said the Arizona legislation is the kind of irresponsibility that could result if the U.S. government does not act responsibly on immigration. "And that includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe," he said.

Mr. Obama said the Justice Department will look at the new Arizona law to determine whether it is legal, and whether it might violate people's civil rights. "In fact, I have instructed members of my administration to closely monitor the situation and examine the civil rights and other implications of this legislation, but if we continue to fail to act at a federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country," he said.

Civil rights activists⁶ have said the bill would lead to Hispanics being targeted by police because of their race.  Hundreds of Hispanics protested the legislation at the state capitol in Phoenix on Thursday.

Before signing the bill, Brewer said she has worked with state lawmakers to ensure that the legislation will respect people's civil rights. "I will not tolerate racial discrimination or racial profiling in Arizona," she said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates that more than 10 million people are in the country illegally, 460,000 of them in Arizona.  Thousands of Mexicans and Central Americans enter the U.S. illegally through the state.

President Obama said the controversy⁷ over the legislation should push U.S. lawmakers of both parties to reform national immigration policies. "I will continue to consult with Democrats⁸ and Republicans in Congress, and I would note that 11 current Republican Senators voted to pass immigration reform four years ago.  I am hopeful that they will join with Democrats in doing so again, so we can make the progress the American people deserve," he said.

At a naturalization ceremony for members of the U.S. military, Mr. Obama said businesses should obey immigration law and not undermine American workers.

The president also said illegal immigrants should pay their back taxes, admit responsibility for breaking the law, pay a penalty, learn English and pass criminal background checks, before they can get in line and eventually earn citizenship⁹.
 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

3 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

4 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

8 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》

9 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。