Restoring human dignity at the US southern border | Norma Pimentel

翻译人员: Xiao Zhou 校对人员: Jiasi Hao

I'm here to honor the sacredness of life

今天我在这是为了

向德克萨斯州南部边境 所看到的神圣生命致敬。

that I see at the border in south Texas.

In 2014,

在 2014 年，

I visited a detention facility

我参观了一间拘留所，

where hundreds of little children,

在那里，成百上千的儿童，

immigrant children,

移民儿童，

were detained for several weeks

已被关押了好几周。

in conditions that were very heartbreaking.

那场面实在很令人心碎。

They were dirty and muddy

他们身上很脏，还带着泥，

and crying.

他们在哭泣。

Their faces were full of tears.

小小的脸上满是泪水。

I had the opportunity to go in and be with them.

我得到了进去陪伴他们的机会，

And they were all around me.

然后孩子们都围着我，

They were little ones,

他们都还很小，

some of them not older than five years old.

一些都还不到五岁。

And they were saying to me,

他们对着我说：

(Spanish) "Sácame de aquí."

（西班牙语）“Sácame de aquí.”

“带我离开这儿吧。”

"Get me out of here."

(Spanish) "Por favor, ayúdame."

（西班牙语） “Por favor, ayúdame.”

"Please, help me."

“求求你了，帮帮我。”

It was so difficult to be there with them.

跟他们呆在一起实在太令人难受了。

我开始跟着他们一起哭，

I started to cry with them,

and I told them,

我跟他们说：

"Let us pray."

“让我们一起祈祷吧。”

(Spanish) "Vamos a rezar."

（西班牙语）“Vamos a rezar.”

And they repeated after me,

他们就跟着我重复：

(Spanish) "Diosito, ayúdanos."

（西班牙语）“Diosito, ayúdanos.”

"God, please, help us."

“主啊，请帮帮我们吧。”

As we prayed, I could see the Border Patrol officers

在我们祈祷的时候， 我能看见边境巡逻员们

looking through a glass window.

透过玻璃窗向里望。

They were at the verge of tears.

他们听着孩子们的祈祷， 并看着这一切

As they heard the children praying and witness.

几乎落泪。

I had a little boy get close to me, closer,

有一个小男孩慢慢地向我靠近。

because they were all over,

因为到处都是孩子，

we could barely fit in that little cell.

我们很勉强地挤在那个小房间里。

And this little boy tells me,

这个小男孩对我说：

(Spanish) "Ayúdame.

（西班牙语）“Ayúdame.

Quiero irme con mi mamá.”

Quiero irme con mi mamá."

"Please, help me.

“请帮帮我吧。

我想跟我妈妈在一起。

I want to be with my mother.

她也在这里，我们被分开了。”

She is here, I was separated from her."

I said to him,

我告诉他：

"Mijo, if your mom is here,

“亲爱的，如果你的妈妈在这里，

I'm certain you will be reunited."

那你们一定会重聚的。”

When I walked out of the cell,

当我走出那个小房间，

an officer got close to me and said to me,

一个工作人员走向了我，并对我说：

"Sister, thank you.

“修女，谢谢你。

You have helped us realize

你让我们意识到

that they are human beings."

他们也是人。”

You know, sometimes, no matter what job we have,

有时候，无论我们做着什么工作，

we must never forget to recognize

我们都得记得

去看见存在于他人身上的人性。

the humanity in others.

否则，我们就会失去自己的人性。

Otherwise, we will lose our own humanity.

Let me tell you a bit about what I see and what I do

让我来与你们分享一些 在美国南部边境

in the southern border of the United States

我看到过的和我做过的事吧，

where I live and where I work.

那是我工作和生活的地方。

Hundreds of families enter the United States

成百上千的家庭穿过奥格兰德河

by crossing the Rio Grande river.

进入美国。

And once they are in the United States,

一旦他们进入美国，

many of them are given permission

他们中的许多人都获得批准，

to continue their process of immigration

并在某些时候

at another point in the United States.

继续他们的移民程序。

What has amazed me for all these years

这些年来，我一直震惊于

has been the amazing humanitarian response

德州南部社区的那种

of the community there in south Texas.

令人惊叹的人道主义响应。

Thousands of volunteers

成千上百的志愿者

have given of their time so generously.

慷慨地奉献出了他们自己的时间。

For me, they're all amazing people.

在我看来，他们都是很棒的人。

And the whole community,

而整个社区、

city government,

市政府、

from local business leaders

从当地的商业领袖

to civic organizations,

到社会组织，

all faith communities,

所有的信仰社区、

in the Border Patrol and ICE.

边境巡逻队， 以及移民及海关执法局（ICE），

We have all come together in an effort to help

从第一天起，我们一直以来 携手并肩共同致力于

150,000 or more immigrants since that first day that we got started.

帮助这 15 万乃至更多的移民。

Back in those first days

回想最初的那些日子——

when we were first involved in helping the immigrants,

我们刚开始介入帮助移民那会儿，

we were at our respite center,

有一天，我们在暂托中心里，

and an officer from the city walks in

一位城市官员走了进来，

and tells me,

并问我：

"Sister, what are you doing here?"

“修女，你们在这儿做什么？”

I turned and looked to see what was happening

我转过身，想看看暂托中心里

at the respite center.

发生了什么。

I was amazed at what I was seeing.

眼前的景象令我震惊。

There were hundreds of volunteers

几百个志愿者

helping so many families there that needed help.

正在为那些急需援助的家庭提供帮助。

Giving them ways to get cleaned up

设法让他们能够清洁身体，

and to get clean clothing, food,

为他们提供干净的衣服、食物，

hygiene items.

和卫生用品。

Just love and compassion was seen everywhere.

爱与怜悯洋溢在每个角落。

So I turned back and I responded to him and I said,

于是我又转回身 回答这位长官，我说：

"Restoring human dignity.

“恢复人的尊严。

That's what we're doing."

这就是我们正在做的事。“

I don't think he expected that answer from me,

我猜他没想到我会这样回答他，

because he took a step back

因为他向后退了一步

and then approached me again and said,

然后又再次靠近我说道：

"Sister, if I had a magic wand,

“修女，假如我有魔杖，

what would that magic wand do for you?"

你想让这根魔杖做些什么呢？”

"Showers?"

“热水澡吧？”

Sure enough, that evening we had a mobile unit of eight showers.

果真，当天晚上我们就有了 八个可移动的洗澡间。

Amazing.

太神奇了。

And after that,

而从那以后

我们得到了市政府 100% 的全力支持。

we had 100 percent support of the city government.

We were there,

我们在那里

希望确保我们切切实实帮助着

wanting to make sure that we were helping

and be successful with our response

且成功地回应着

to so many families that we were seeing

我们每一天所面对的

众多家庭。

every single day.

我认为我们必须帮助其他人看见

I think that we must help others see

what we see.

我们所看见的这一切。

I think it's important

至关重要的一点是，

that we can share that with others.

我们能够与他人与分享这一切。

You probably heard this idea before --

你也许之前就听过这样的话——

that we must always see God's children as equal.

我们必须对神的孩子一视同仁。

But in order to do that,

但要想做到这一点，

I think it's important to be able to see them

我认为重要的是， 我们首先得能够将他们

as people.

看作是人。

To be able to have a personal encounter,

能去亲身体验，感同身受，

when we can feel what they feel,

当我们能感受他们的感受，

when we can understand what they're hurting.

当我们能理解他们的苦痛。

To really meet up with them.

能在现实中与他们见面。

出现在他们面前，

It is then that we are present to them

and we can make their humanity

我们能将他们的人性

a part of our own humanity.

变为我们自己人性的一部分。

And we'd recognize

于是我们能够意识到

that we are all part of the same human family.

我们都属于同一个人类大家庭。

During those days,

在那些日子里，

有一位女士找到我，并告诉我：

I had a lady approach me and tell me,

"Sister, I am 100 percent against what you do,

“修女，我完全反对你

helping these illegal aliens."

帮助这些非法移民。”

And I said to her,

我对她说，

"Let me tell you what I do and why."

“让我来告诉你 我做了什么和其中的缘由。”

So I shared with her and introduced her to the families and the children,

因此，我向她介绍了这些家庭和孩子们，

shared the stories that they are living.

也分享了他们的故事。

When I finished talking with her,

当我和她讲完时，

she turns and looks at me and says,

她转头看向我说：

"Sister, I am 100 percent in favor of what you do."

“修女，我现在完全支持你现在做的事。”

(Laughter and applause)

（笑声和掌声）

那天晚上，她的丈夫给我打来了电话，

That evening, her husband calls me,

he tells me,

他告诉我，

"Sister, I don't know what you did to my wife.

“修女，我不知道 你对我妻子做了些什么，

But this evening she came home and she said,

但今天晚上，她回到家后对我说，

‘如果诺玛修女打电话给你，

'If Sister Norma ever calls you,

you make sure you do what she tells you.'

你一定得照她说的去做。’

So I'm just reporting to let you know I'm here to help in any way."

所以我打电话来就是想告诉你， 只要有需要，我随时都可以帮忙。“

Well, you know ...

好吧，你们知道……

我在想——

I'm thinking that --

这对她来说算不算是一次亲身体验呢？

was it a personal encounter that she had?

I think it's a nice idea, a nice message,

我认为这是个好主意，是个好消息，

but I don't think it's the whole story.

但我不认为这就是全部了。

在见面时，我们必须抛开对他人的偏见。

In that encounter, we must put aside our prejudice that we have toward others,

that separate us and don't allow us to see them,

即那些将我们与他们分隔， 使我们看不见他们的偏见，

那堵我们在自己心中筑起的

our walls that we put up in our own heart

that keep us separated from others.

使我们与他人分隔的高墙。

当我们能够做到这一点，

When we are able to do that,

we're able to reach out to them.

我们就能够与他们相连。

You know, I think what doesn't make it possible is fear --

我认为恐惧让我们做不到这件事——

我们感到畏惧。

that we're afraid.

And because we're afraid --

而正因为我们畏惧——

more than likely it's because we've seen in the media

更可能是因为 我们在媒体上所看到的东西

all this negative rhetoric that we hear about immigrants,

印证了那些我们曾听说的 关于移民的负面言论，

they are demonized, like they're not human,

他们被妖魔化了， 就好像他们不是人类一样，

that we can discard them

就好像我们可以弃他们不顾，

and we can get rid of them,

可以摆脱他们，

and not even feel bad that we're doing that.

甚至在这样做时， 丝毫不感到难过。

Immigrant families are not criminals.

移民家庭不是罪犯。

Immigrant families are like our families,

移民家庭就跟我们所有家庭一样，

like our neighbors.

就如同我们的邻居。

他们是好人，

They're good people

who are entering our country and coming to the United States

他们进入我们的国家，来到美国，

only simply because they're fleeing away from violence

仅仅因为他们想要远离暴力，

and they want to be safe.

他们渴望拥有一个安全的生活。

不幸的是，我们在边境看到的一切

Unfortunately, what we see at the border

糟糕透了。

is terrible.

People are hurting and suffering.

他们在忍受着伤害和痛苦，

Thousands of them are.

成千上万个人如此。

And mostly I feel

我大部分时候都觉得

it's because of those walls that we put up,

正是因为那些我们筑起的墙，

我们内心深处的高墙，

that we have in our hearts,

that makes us not care.

让我们变得毫不在意。

So we have policies

所以我们才会有政策

that are returning people back to Mexico,

要将移民们送回到墨西哥。

so they can wait.

所以他们就在这儿等着，

And they wait there for months.

一等就是好几个月——

在这样糟糕的处境下等待着，

In conditions that are horrible,

where people are suffering and hurting.

在伤害和苦痛中等待着。

Abuses.

这是虐待，

And not even the means to be OK.

离合适的方式相差甚远。

I think that it is true

我非常认同，

that we must keep our country safe,

我们必须保证我们国家的安全。

that we must make sure who enters our country,

我们必须要检查入境者的身份，

that criminals should be put away.

确保罪犯被关押起来。

But it is also true

但我同样认同，

that we must not lose our humanity in doing this.

我们不可以在这样做时失去人性。

That we must have policies and procedures

我们的政策和司法程序

that do not contribute to the human suffering

切不可给那些已经遭受了许多苦难的人

that people are already suffering.

再添痛苦。

And that we can find solutions that are respectful to all human life.

然而我们能够找到 一种尊重生命个体的解决办法，

我们能够做到的，

We can do this,

if we can allow the best in us to come out.

只要我们允许自己展现出 我们最好的那一面。

Because what I see at the border

因为我在边境看到的

are families, men, who will take a child

是一个个家庭， 一个个带着孩子们的男人，

and will try to comfort that child that is crying

尝试安抚哭泣的孩子，

because that child is crying for their own dad.

而孩子们则在为自己的父亲哭泣。

And these men are crying with that child.

这些男人们于是陪着孩子一起流泪。

I see men and women who drop to their knees,

我看见男人和女人们，双膝跪地，

praying.

向上帝祈祷，

As they pray in thanksgiving.

如同他们在感恩节时做的祷告。

I see children who have been separated from their parents for months.

我看到那些与父母分开数月的孩子。

当跟他们和家人团聚时，

And when they're reunited,

they're afraid to separate themselves from them,

他们变得异常害怕离开父母身边，

because they're afraid they will lose their mom again.

因为他们担心 他们会再一次失去自己的母亲。

Once a child looked up to me after she was reunited

有一次，一个小女孩 在跟家人团聚后抬头看向我，

and she said to me,

她对我说：

(Spanish) "Hoy no voy a llorar."

（西班牙语） “Hoy no voy a llorar.”

"Today I'm not going to cry."

“今天我不会哭了。”

And I said, (Spanish) "Por qué, mi hija?"

我说，（西班牙语） “为什么呢，我的孩子？”

She said, "Because I have been crying for the past whole month,

她说：“因为过去的一个月里 我一直都在哭，

because I didn't know where my mother was.

因为我不知道我的妈妈在哪里。

But tonight, I'm going to be with her."

但今晚，我会跟她待在一起。”

The day I visited the detention facility back in 2014,

说回到 2014 年， 我前去探访拘留所的那天，

there was a little boy who approached me and asked me

曾有一个小男孩来找我，并问我

for me to help him find his mom.

能不能帮他找到他的妈妈。

Well, that evening, when I was at the humanitarian respite center,

而在那一天晚上， 在人道主义暂托中心，

这个小男孩和他的妈妈一起走了进来。

the little boy walked in with his mother.

And as soon as he spotted me,

他一下子认出了我，

he runs toward me, I go down to greet him,

并向我跑来，我蹲下身来问候他，

and he just throws himself to hug me.

他径直冲上来 给了我个大大的拥抱。

It was so beautiful,

这太美好了，

that was truly a beautiful human encounter.

真是一次美好的相遇。

我想这就是人性最好的一面。

I think it's humanity at its best.

It is what we all are called to do.

这就是我们都该做的事情。

想想吧。

Think about it.

We just need to allow ourselves to get close enough to see,

我们只需让自己愿意靠近了去看，

and we will care.

我们便会开始关心。

谢谢。

Thank you.

(Applause)

（掌声）