时差N小时:移民改革 Immigration Reform

"Give me your tired, your poor...your huddledmasses yearning to breathe free...

挤在一起渴望自由呼吸的大众，那熙熙攘攘的被遗弃了的，可怜的人们。把这些无家可归的，饱受颠沛的人们一起交给我...

These words, written by American poet EmmaLazarus and inscribed at the base of the Statue ofLiberty, encouraged immigration to America in theearly years of the twentieth century. For decades, asteady stream of immigrants arrived andassimilated themselves into American life.

这是爱玛·拉扎露丝写的十四行诗，被雕刻在自由女神像底座上，用以鼓励移民来到在上世纪早期的美国。几十年过去了，移民们源源不断的涌进并融入到美国生活中。

But by the mid 1970s, Congress was hearing from Americans who believed they were losingjobs to illegal aliens. Senator Alan Simpson and Representative Romano Mazzoli proposed whatcame to be known as the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Control Act. It imposedsanctions on employers who hired undocumented aliens, while making allowances for aliensalready living and working in the U.S. Not everyone was in favor of this bill.

但是到20世纪70年代，国会听证了来自美国人的证词，他们认为工作机会正向非法移民转移。参议员阿兰·辛普森以及国会代表 Romano Mazzoli 建议进行移民改革，后来发展为众所周知的 Simpson-Mazzoli 移民改革和控制法案。这条法案对雇佣非法移民的雇主实行制裁，同时为已经移居美国的移民发放津贴。但这项法案并不是对所有人都有利。

Some believed it would handle illegal immigrants in an arbitrary fashion, and hurt localbusinessmen. Others thought it would prove to be too be costly, and in the end, ineffective.The Simpson-Mazzoli bill was ultimately signed into law on November 7, 1986.

有人认为这是以一种独断专行的方式处理非法移民问题，同时也损害了地方商人的利益。其他人则认为这是一项吃力不讨好的决策。最终 Simpson-Mazzoli 法案于1986年被签署成为法律。

A delicate compromise, passed after five years of trying, the new law didn't solve theproblems of immigration, but alleviated them. Immigration policies that challenge Congresstoday are even more complex… balancing new security issues with the desire to preserve thediversity and strength that immigrants bring.

经过五年的努力，法案通过了微妙的妥协。最新的法律并没有解决移民问题，但却缓和了矛盾。如今国会面临的移民政策的挑战愈加复杂...移民会带来多样性和新的力量，在这样的愿景下权衡新出现的安全问题。