The fundamental right to seek asylum | Melanie Nezer

Translator: Mario Cal Reviewer: Xosé María Moreno

Last summer, I got a call from a woman named Ellie.

O verán pasado recibín a chamada dunha muller, Ellie.

And she had heard about the family separations at the southern border

Escoitara falar da separación de familias na fronteira sur

and wanted to know what she could do to help.

e quería saber como podía axudar.

She told me the story of her grandfather and his father.

Contoume a historia do seu avó e o seu bisavó.

When they were kids in Poland,

Cando eran cativos, en Polonia,

their father,

o seu pai,

fearing for his son's safety,

temendo pola seguridade do seu fillo,

gave them a little bit of money and told them to walk west,

deulles algúns cartos e díxolles que marchasen cara ao oeste,

to just keep walking west across Europe.

que non parasen de camiñar ata ter cruzado Europa.

And they did.

E así o fixeron.

They walked all the way west across Europe,

Cruzaron Europa camiñando cara ao oeste,

and they got on a boat and they got to America.

subiron a un barco e chegaron aos Estados Unidos.

Ellie said that when she heard the stories of the teens

Ellie díxome que cando escoitaba as historias dos rapaces

walking up across Mexico,

que cruzaban México camiñando,

all she could think about was her grandfather and his brother.

non podía deixar de pensar no seu avó e o seu irmán.

She said that for her, the stories were exactly the same.

Para ela, díxome, as historias eran exactamente iguais.

Those brothers were the Hassenfeld Brothers --

Aqueles irmáns eran os Irmáns Hassenfeld --

the "Has" "bros" --

os "Has" "bros" --

the Hasbro toy company,

os de Hasbro, a empresa de xoguetes,

which, of course, brought us Mr. Potato Head.

coñecerédelos porque crearon Mr. Potato.

But that is not actually why I'm telling you this story.

Pero esa non é a razón pola que vos conto esta historia.

I'm telling you this story because it made me think

Cóntovola porque esta historia fíxome pensar

about whether I would have the faith,

en se eu tería a fe,

the courage,

a coraxe,

to send my teens -- and I have three of them --

de enviar os meus rapaces -- e teño tres --

on a journey like that.

a unha viaxe como aquela.

Knowing that they wouldn't be safe where we were,

Sabendo que non estaban seguros onde estaban,

would I be able to watch them go?

sería quen de velos marchar?

I started my career decades ago at the southern US border,

Comecei na miña profesión hai décadas na fronteira sur dos EUA,

working with Central American asylum seekers.

traballando con solicitantes de asilo centroamericanos.

And in the last 16 years, I've been at HIAS,

Desde hai 16 anos estou na HIAS,

the Jewish organization that fights for refugee rights around the world,

a organización xudía que loita polos dereitos dos refuxiados do mundo,

as a lawyer and an advocate.

como avogada.

And one thing I've learned is that, sometimes,

Unha das cousas que aprendín é que, ás veces,

the things that we're told make us safer and stronger

aquilo que nos din que nos vai dar máis seguridade e forza

actually don't.

non fai tal.

And, in fact, some of these policies have the opposite of the intended results

De feito, algunhas desas medidas teñen un efecto contrario ao esperado

and in the meantime, cause tremendous and unnecessary suffering.

e entrementres causan un sufrimento enorme e innecesario.

So why are people showing up at our southern border?

Así que por que razón aparecen estas persoas na nosa fronteira sur?

Most of the immigrants and refugees that are coming to our southern border

A maioría dos inmigrantes e refuxiados que chegan á nosa fronteira sur

are fleeing three countries: Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

veñen fuxindo de tres países: Guatemala, Honduras e El Salvador.

These countries are consistently ranked

Son países que sistematicamente encabezan

among the most violent countries in the world.

a lista de nacións máis violentas do mundo.

It's very difficult to be safe in these countries,

É moi difícil estar seguro neses países,

let alone build a future for yourself and your family.

para canto máis construír un futuro para ti e a túa familia.

And violence against women and girls is pervasive.

E a violencia contra mulleres e nenas é xeralizada.

People have been fleeing Central America

A xente leva fuxindo de Centroamérica

for generations.

durante xeracións.

Generations of refugees have been coming to our shores,

Xeracións de refuxiados seguen chegando ás nosas costas,

fleeing the civil wars of the 1980s,

escapando das guerras civís da década de 1980,

in which the United States was deeply involved.

nas que Estados Unidos estivo moi involucrado.

This is nothing new.

Isto non é novo.

What's new is that recently, there's been a spike in families,

O novo é que ultimamente aumentou a chegada de familias,

children and families, showing up at checkpoints

de nenos e familias, que se presentan nos postos de control

and presenting themselves to seek asylum.

solicitando asilo.

Now, this has been in the news lately,

Vímolo estes días nos noticiarios,

so I want you to remember a few things as you see those images.

e quero que lembredes un par de cousas cando vexades esas imaxes.

One, this is not a historically high level of interceptions at the southern border,

Primeiro, non estamos ante un máximo histórico de interceptacións na fronteira,

and, in fact, people are presenting themselves at checkpoints.

e, de feito, estas persoas preséntanse nos postos de control.

Two, people are showing up with the clothes on their backs;

Segundo, chegan só co que traen posto;

some of them are literally in flip-flops.

algúns veñen literalmente en chancletas.

And three, we're the most powerful country in the world.

E terceiro, somos o país máis poderoso do mundo.

It's not a time to panic.

Non hai motivo para o pánico.

It's easy from the safety of the destination country

É doado desde a seguridade do país de destino

to think in terms of absolutes:

pensar en termos absolutos:

Is it legal, or is it illegal?

É legal ou é ilegal?

But the people who are wrestling with these questions

Pero as persoas que pelexan con estas preguntas

and making these decisions about their families

e toman estas decisións sobre as súas familias

are thinking about very different questions:

pensan en preguntas moi distintas:

How do I keep my daughter safe?

Como manteño a miña filla a salvo?

How do I protect my son?

Como protexo o meu fillo?

And if you want absolutes,

E se queredes termos absolutos,

it's absolutely legal to seek asylum.

é absolutamente legal pedir asilo.

It is a fundamental right in our own laws and in international law.

É un dereito fundamental recoñecido nas nosas leis e no dereito internacional.

And, in fact --

De feito --

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

it stems from the 1951 Refugee Convention,

derívase da Convención de 1951 sobre o Estatuto dos Refuxiados,

which was the world's response to the Holocaust

que foi a resposta do mundo ao Holocausto

and a way for countries to say never again would we return people to countries

e un modo para que as nacións se comprometesen a non devolver a ninguén

where they would harmed or killed.

a un país onde puidese sufrir mal ou ser asasinado.

There are several ways refugees come to this country.

Os refuxiados chegan aquí de varias formas.

One is through the US Refugee Admissions Program.

Unha é a través do Programa de Admisión de Refuxiados dos EUA.

Through that program, the US identifies and selects refugees abroad

Por medio dese programa, identifícanse e seleccionan refuxiados no estranxeiro

and brings them to the United States.

para traelos aos Estados Unidos

Last year, the US resettled fewer refugees

O ano pasado acollimos o número máis baixo de refuxiados

than at any time since the program began in 1980.

desde que o programa se puxo en marcha en 1980.

And this year, it'll probably be less.

Este ano serán probablemente aínda menos.

And this is at a time when we have more refugees in the world

E iso ocorre nun momento en que temos máis refuxiados no mundo

than at any other time in recorded history,

ca en ningún outro período da historia,

even since World War II.

mesmo desde a Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Another way that refugees come to this country is by seeking asylum.

Outro dos modos de entrar no país como refuxiado é solicitando asilo.

Asylum seekers are people who present themselves at a border

Os solicitantes de asilo son persoas que se presentan na fronteira

and say that they'll be persecuted if they're sent back home.

e din que serían perseguidos se os enviasen de volta.

An asylum seeker is simply somebody who's going through the process

Un solicitante de asilo é só alguén que se somete a este proceso

in the United States

nos Estados Unidos

to prove that they meet the refugee definition.

para demostrar que se axusta á definición de refuxiado.

And it's never been more difficult to seek asylum.

E nunca antes fora tan difícil solicitar asilo.

Border guards are telling people when they show up at our borders

Os gardas dinlles aos que aparecen nas nosas fronteiras

that our country's full, that they simply can't apply.

que o país está cheo e non poden solicitar.

This is unprecedented and illegal.

É algo sen precedentes e ilegal.

Under a new program,

No marco dun novo programa,

with the kind of Orwellian title "Migrant Protection Protocols,"

co título orwelliano de "Protocolo de Protección de Migrantes",

refugees are told they have to wait in Mexico

díselles aos refuxiados que teñen que agardar en México

while their cases make their way through the courts in the United States,

a que o seu caso supere os trámites xudiciais nos Estados Unidos,

and this can take months or years.

o que pode levar meses ou anos.

Meanwhile, they're not safe,

Entre tanto, non están seguros,

and they have no access to lawyers.

e non teñen acceso a un avogado.

Our country, our government, has detained over 3,000 children,

O noso país, o noso goberno leva detido a máis de 3.000 nenos,

separating them from their parents' arms,

separándoos dos seus pais,

as a deterrent from seeking asylum.

como estratexia disuasoria fronte ás solicitudes de asilo.

Many were toddlers,

Moitos eran nenos pequenos,

and at least one was a six-year-old blind girl.

incluso unha nena cega de seis anos.

And this is still going on.

E iso aínda continúa.

We spend billions to detain people in what are virtually prisons

Gastamos miles de millóns en reter no que practicamente son prisións

who have committed no crime.

a persoas que non cometeron ningún delito.

And family separation has become the hallmark of our immigration system.

A separación familiar converteuse no selo do noso sistema de inmigración.

That's a far cry from a shining city on a hill or a beacon of hope

Está lonxe daquilo da "cidade brillante do outeiro" ou "o faro de esperanza"

or all of the other ways we like to talk about ourselves and our values.

ou deses outros xeitos nos que falamos de nós mesmos e dos nosos valores.

Migration has always been with us, and it always will be.

As migracións sempre estiveron con nós, e sempre estarán.

The reasons why people flee -- persecution, war, violence,

Os motivos polos que foxe a xente -- persecución, guerra, violencia,

climate change

cambio climático

and the ability now to see on your phone what life is like in other places --

e a capacidade de ver no teléfono como é a vida noutros sitios --

those pressures are only growing.

esas presións non fan máis ca medrar.

But there are ways that we can have policies that reflect our values

Pero existen modos de ter políticas que reflictan os nosos valores

and actually make sense, given the reality in the world.

e teñan sentido de verdade na realidade actual.

The first thing we need to do is dial back the toxic rhetoric

En primeiro lugar é necesario reducir a retórica tóxica

that has been the basis of our national debate on this issue for too long.

que está no fondo do debate nacional sobre esta cuestión desde hai demasiado.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

I am not an immigrant or a refugee myself,

Eu non son unha inmigrante nin unha refuxiada,

but I take these attacks personally, because my grandparents were.

pero tomo estes ataques como algo persoal porque os meus avós si que o eran.

My great-grandmother Rose didn't see her kids for seven years,

A miña bisavoa Rose estivo sete anos sen ver os seus fillos,

as she tried to bring them from Poland to New York.

cando trataba de traelos desde Polonia a Nova York.

She left my grandfather when he was seven

Deixou o meu avó cando tiña sete anos

and didn't see him again until he was 14.

e non o volveu ver ata que tiña 14.

On the other side of my family,

No outro lado da miña familia,

my grandmother Aliza left Poland in the 1930s

a miña avoa Aliza saíu de Polonia nos anos 30 do século pasado

and left for what was then the British Mandate of Palestine,

para ir ao que entón era o Mandato británico de Palestina

and she never saw her family and friends again.

e non volveu ver a familia nin os amigos.

Global cooperation as a response to global migration and displacement

A cooperación global como resposta á migración e ao desprazamento global

would go a long way towards making migration something that isn't a crisis

contribuiría moito a facer da migración algo que non é unha crise

but something that just is,

senón algo que está aí

and that we deal with as a global community.

e debemos afrontar como comunidade global

Humanitarian aid is also critical.

A axuda humanitaria tamén é crucial.

The amount of support we provide to countries in Central America

A asistencia que lles damos aos países centroamericanos

that are sending refugees and migrants

que envían refuxiados e migrantes

is a tiny fraction of the amount we spend on enforcement and detention.

é unha mínima fracción do que gastamos en aplicación da lei e detencións.

And we can absolutely have an asylum system that works.

Está claro que podemos ter un sistema de asilo que funcione.

For a tiny fraction of the cost of a wall,

Por unha fracción minúscula do custo de construír un muro,

we could hire more judges,

poderiamos contratar máis xuíces,

make sure asylum seekers have lawyers

garantir avogados aos solicitantes

and commit to a humane asylum system.

e comprometernos cun sistema de asilo decente.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

And we could resettle more refugees.

E poderiamos acoller a máis refuxiados.

To give you a sense of the decline in the refugee program:

Isto daravos unha idea da redución do programa de acollida:

three years ago, the US resettled 15,000 Syrian refugees

hai tres anos, Estados Unidos acolleu a 15.000 refuxiados sirios

in response to the largest refugee crisis on earth.

en resposta á maior crise de refuxiados do planeta.

A year later, that number was 3,000.

Un ano despois, a cifra era de 3.000.

And last year, that number was 62 people.

E o ano pasado foron 62 persoas.

62 people.

62 persoas.

Despite the harsh rhetoric and efforts to block immigration,

Malia crueza retórica e os esforzos por bloquear a inmigración

keep refugees out of the country,

e manter os refuxiados fóra do país,

support for refugees and immigrants in this country, according to polls,

o apoio aos refuxiados e inmigrantes no noso país, segundo as enquisas,

has never been higher.

é máis forte ca nunca.

Organizations like HIAS, where I work,

Organizacións como HIAS, para a que traballo,

and other humanitarian and faith-based organizations,

e outras organizacións humanitarias e relixiosas,

make it easy for you to take a stand

facilitan que nos pronunciemos

when there's a law that's worth opposing

cando unha lei merece que nos opoñamos a ela

or a law that's worth supporting or a policy that needs oversight.

ou merece o noso apoio, ou unha política require supervisión.

If you have a phone,

Se tedes teléfono,

you can do something,

podedes facer algo,

and if you want to do more, you can.

e se queredes facer máis, podedes.

I will tell you that if you see one of these detention centers

Direivos que se algunha vez vedes un destes centros de detención

along the border

distribuídos pola fronteira

with children in them -- they're jails --

onde hai nenos -- son cárceres --

you will never be the same.

non volveredes ser os mesmos.

What I loved so much about my call with Ellie

O que máis me gustou da miña conversa con Ellie

was that she knew in her core that the stories of her grandparents

foi ver que no fondo ela sabía que as historias dos seus avós

were no different than today's stories,

non eran diferentes das historias de hoxe,

and she wanted to do something about it.

e quería facer algo ao respecto.

If I leave you with one thing,

Se quero que quededes con algo,

beyond the backstory for Mr. Potato Head,

ademais da historia tras Mr. Potato,

which is, of course, a good story to leave with,

que, por suposto, tamén é unha boa historia que deixarvos,

it's that a country shows strength

é a idea de que un país amosa fortaleza

through compassion and pragmatism,

a través da compaixón e o pragmatismo,

not through force and through fear.

non por medio da forza e do medo

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

These stories of the Hassenfelds and my relatives and your relatives

Estas historias dos Hassenfeld e dos meus parentes e os vosos

are still happening today; they're all the same.

seguen a acontecer hoxe; son todas a mesma.

A country is strong when it says to the refugee,

Un país é forte cando non lle di "Fóra!" ao refuxiado,

not, "Go away," but,

senón que lle di:

"It's OK, we've got you, you're safe."

"Está ben, xa te temos, estás a salvo".

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Thanks.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)