★英語(yǔ)聽力頻道為大家整理的VOA常速英語(yǔ)2014--美國(guó)商界領(lǐng)袖呼吁移民改革。更多閱讀請(qǐng)查看本站英語(yǔ)聽力頻道。
US Business Leaders Argue for Immigration Reform 美國(guó)商界領(lǐng)袖呼吁移民改革
HOUSTON—
U.S. President Barack Obama’s proposed comprehensive immigration reform remains stalled in a politically divided Congress, but business leaders around the country say immigration reform is needed to keep the economy growing. The situation was the focus of a recent business forum in Houston.
In recent years, thousands of the world’s best and brightest people have been denied H1-B visas that are issued to immigrants with special skills or education.
最近幾年,數(shù)千名全世界秀、最聰明的人才在申請(qǐng)頒發(fā)給具備特殊技能或教育資歷移民的H1-B簽證時(shí)被拒。
Former governor of New Mexico and U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson says the system needs to change, “so that skilled workers, engineers, computer specialists that are here on student visas, can stay and create jobs in the American economy."
新墨西哥州州長(zhǎng)兼美國(guó)能源部長(zhǎng)比爾·理查德森稱需要改變制度,“這樣擁有學(xué)生簽證的技能工人、工程師能流下來(lái)并為美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)制造工作機(jī)會(huì)。”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations favor a large expansion of H1-B visas especially for talented people from around the world who study at U.S. universities on student visas, but cannot stay after they graduate.
美國(guó)商務(wù)部和其他商業(yè)組織支持大力增加H1-B簽發(fā),尤其是針對(duì)來(lái)自全世界各地?fù)碛袑W(xué)生簽證,但無(wú)法在畢業(yè)后留下來(lái)的留學(xué)生。
The ones who do stay are in high demand, according to Massey Villareal, president of Precision Task Group in Houston.
休斯頓Precision Task Group總裁梅西·維拉里爾說(shuō),留下來(lái)的學(xué)生很搶手。
“We spend over $30,000 a month just on recruiting costs, just trying to find these employees, so my clients are asking for highly qualified skill sets that I have a hard time finding, and then when I find them, my competitor offers them $10,000 a year more and they are gone," said Villareal.
“我們每月在招募上就要花費(fèi)三萬(wàn)美元,只是為了尋找這樣的雇員,所以我的客戶們都在尋找有高水平技能的人,我苦苦尋找這些人,我的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者給他們每年一萬(wàn)多美金,但他們卻離開了
Last year, 172,000 petitions for H1-B visas were filed, but current law allows for only 85,000 each year.
去年,有17.2萬(wàn)人申請(qǐng)H1-B簽證,但目前法律只允許每年批準(zhǔn)8.5萬(wàn)個(gè)。
Attorney Charles Foster headed a task force on immigration for the Greater Houston Partnership.
大法官查理·福斯特是大休斯敦商會(huì)移民工作組負(fù)責(zé)人。
“It is a dysfunctional system; one day a year you can petition for the brightest people in the world, and then you have a 30 percent chance," he said.
“這個(gè)系統(tǒng)已經(jīng)失靈,你可以為全世界最聰明的人才進(jìn)行請(qǐng)?jiān)福@樣有30%的機(jī)會(huì)?!?BR> Many pro-reform business executives are Republicans, but Foster says the party’s immigration policy is controlled by the Tea Party movement.
很多支持改革的商業(yè)總裁都是共和黨人,但福斯特說(shuō)該黨的移民政策為茶黨運(yùn)動(dòng)控制。
“Their anger, their opposition, is mostly based upon rumor and anecdotal stuff that has little to do with the truth. When you get before them and explain what real immigration reform means, they have a very different position," he said.
“他們的憤怒和反對(duì)在很大程度上基于流言和道聽途說(shuō)的東西,與事實(shí)幾乎沒有多少關(guān)系。然后你走上前去解釋真正的移民改革意味著什么,他們就會(huì)改變立場(chǎng)。”
Still, most conservatives remain opposed on principle to any reform that would provide what they see as amnesty for people who entered the country illegally.
不過(guò)大多數(shù)保守派仍反對(duì)任何將提供在他們看來(lái)為非法進(jìn)入美國(guó)者提供避難的改革原則。
Bill Richardson, a Democrat, says his party is right to insist on legalization, as well as a pathway to citizenship.
民主黨比爾·理查德森說(shuō)本黨在堅(jiān)持合法化和獲得公民資格途徑上是正確的。
“We need to bring the 11 million undocumented workers that are currently in this country out of the shadows; make them productive players in the U.S. economy," he said.
“我們需要幫助目前美國(guó)1100萬(wàn)非法移民走出陰影,讓他們?cè)诿绹?guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)中發(fā)揮創(chuàng)造性作用?!?BR> Republicans in Congress favor a bill that would increase the number of H1-B visas for skilled workers and leave the larger reform package for later.
國(guó)會(huì)中的共和黨人支持將增加技術(shù)工人H1-B簽證數(shù)量的法案,并將更大的改革方案推遲。
But Democrats reject that, saying it should be part of an overall reform that would open the door to citizenship to those living here illegally, and that stalemate, according to studies done by business groups, is costing the nation tens of thousands of jobs as well as a more competitive edge in the world economy.
但民主黨反對(duì)這么做,稱這為非法拘留者獲得公民資格打開大門,且根據(jù)商業(yè)組織的研究,這樣的僵局使得美國(guó)損失成千上萬(wàn)就業(yè)崗位,并影響其在世界經(jīng)濟(jì)中獲得更具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)性的優(yōu)勢(shì)。
US Business Leaders Argue for Immigration Reform 美國(guó)商界領(lǐng)袖呼吁移民改革
HOUSTON—
U.S. President Barack Obama’s proposed comprehensive immigration reform remains stalled in a politically divided Congress, but business leaders around the country say immigration reform is needed to keep the economy growing. The situation was the focus of a recent business forum in Houston.
In recent years, thousands of the world’s best and brightest people have been denied H1-B visas that are issued to immigrants with special skills or education.
最近幾年,數(shù)千名全世界秀、最聰明的人才在申請(qǐng)頒發(fā)給具備特殊技能或教育資歷移民的H1-B簽證時(shí)被拒。
Former governor of New Mexico and U.S. Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson says the system needs to change, “so that skilled workers, engineers, computer specialists that are here on student visas, can stay and create jobs in the American economy."
新墨西哥州州長(zhǎng)兼美國(guó)能源部長(zhǎng)比爾·理查德森稱需要改變制度,“這樣擁有學(xué)生簽證的技能工人、工程師能流下來(lái)并為美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)制造工作機(jī)會(huì)。”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business organizations favor a large expansion of H1-B visas especially for talented people from around the world who study at U.S. universities on student visas, but cannot stay after they graduate.
美國(guó)商務(wù)部和其他商業(yè)組織支持大力增加H1-B簽發(fā),尤其是針對(duì)來(lái)自全世界各地?fù)碛袑W(xué)生簽證,但無(wú)法在畢業(yè)后留下來(lái)的留學(xué)生。
The ones who do stay are in high demand, according to Massey Villareal, president of Precision Task Group in Houston.
休斯頓Precision Task Group總裁梅西·維拉里爾說(shuō),留下來(lái)的學(xué)生很搶手。
“We spend over $30,000 a month just on recruiting costs, just trying to find these employees, so my clients are asking for highly qualified skill sets that I have a hard time finding, and then when I find them, my competitor offers them $10,000 a year more and they are gone," said Villareal.
“我們每月在招募上就要花費(fèi)三萬(wàn)美元,只是為了尋找這樣的雇員,所以我的客戶們都在尋找有高水平技能的人,我苦苦尋找這些人,我的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)者給他們每年一萬(wàn)多美金,但他們卻離開了
Last year, 172,000 petitions for H1-B visas were filed, but current law allows for only 85,000 each year.
去年,有17.2萬(wàn)人申請(qǐng)H1-B簽證,但目前法律只允許每年批準(zhǔn)8.5萬(wàn)個(gè)。
Attorney Charles Foster headed a task force on immigration for the Greater Houston Partnership.
大法官查理·福斯特是大休斯敦商會(huì)移民工作組負(fù)責(zé)人。
“It is a dysfunctional system; one day a year you can petition for the brightest people in the world, and then you have a 30 percent chance," he said.
“這個(gè)系統(tǒng)已經(jīng)失靈,你可以為全世界最聰明的人才進(jìn)行請(qǐng)?jiān)福@樣有30%的機(jī)會(huì)?!?BR> Many pro-reform business executives are Republicans, but Foster says the party’s immigration policy is controlled by the Tea Party movement.
很多支持改革的商業(yè)總裁都是共和黨人,但福斯特說(shuō)該黨的移民政策為茶黨運(yùn)動(dòng)控制。
“Their anger, their opposition, is mostly based upon rumor and anecdotal stuff that has little to do with the truth. When you get before them and explain what real immigration reform means, they have a very different position," he said.
“他們的憤怒和反對(duì)在很大程度上基于流言和道聽途說(shuō)的東西,與事實(shí)幾乎沒有多少關(guān)系。然后你走上前去解釋真正的移民改革意味著什么,他們就會(huì)改變立場(chǎng)。”
Still, most conservatives remain opposed on principle to any reform that would provide what they see as amnesty for people who entered the country illegally.
不過(guò)大多數(shù)保守派仍反對(duì)任何將提供在他們看來(lái)為非法進(jìn)入美國(guó)者提供避難的改革原則。
Bill Richardson, a Democrat, says his party is right to insist on legalization, as well as a pathway to citizenship.
民主黨比爾·理查德森說(shuō)本黨在堅(jiān)持合法化和獲得公民資格途徑上是正確的。
“We need to bring the 11 million undocumented workers that are currently in this country out of the shadows; make them productive players in the U.S. economy," he said.
“我們需要幫助目前美國(guó)1100萬(wàn)非法移民走出陰影,讓他們?cè)诿绹?guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)中發(fā)揮創(chuàng)造性作用?!?BR> Republicans in Congress favor a bill that would increase the number of H1-B visas for skilled workers and leave the larger reform package for later.
國(guó)會(huì)中的共和黨人支持將增加技術(shù)工人H1-B簽證數(shù)量的法案,并將更大的改革方案推遲。
But Democrats reject that, saying it should be part of an overall reform that would open the door to citizenship to those living here illegally, and that stalemate, according to studies done by business groups, is costing the nation tens of thousands of jobs as well as a more competitive edge in the world economy.
但民主黨反對(duì)這么做,稱這為非法拘留者獲得公民資格打開大門,且根據(jù)商業(yè)組織的研究,這樣的僵局使得美國(guó)損失成千上萬(wàn)就業(yè)崗位,并影響其在世界經(jīng)濟(jì)中獲得更具競(jìng)爭(zhēng)性的優(yōu)勢(shì)。

