How guest worker visas could transform the US immigration system | David J. Bier

譯者: Yangjun Liu 審譯者: Helen Chang

By October 2018,

到 2018 年 10 月，

Juan Carlos Rivera could no longer afford

華安·卡羅斯·雷維拉就再也負擔不起

to live in his home in Copan, Honduras.

住在他位於宏都拉斯科潘的家。

As the "Dallas Morning News" reported,

據《達拉斯晨報》報導，一個幫派

a gang was taking 10 percent of his earnings from his barber shop.

索取他理髮廳的一成營收。

His wife was assaulted going to her pre-K teaching job.

他的妻子在前往 幼稚園工作時被攻擊。

And they were concerned about the safety of their young daughter.

他們很擔心小女兒的安全。

What could they do?

他們能怎麼辦？

Run away?

逃走？

Seek asylum in another country?

到其他國家尋求庇護？

They didn't want to do that.

他們不想要那麼做。

They just wanted to live in their country safely.

他們只想要安全地 住在自己的國家裡。

But their options were limited.

但他們的選項有限。

So that month,

所以，在那個月，

Juan Carlos moved his family to a safer location

華安·卡羅斯把一家人 搬到更安全的地方，

while he joined a group of migrants on the long and perilous journey

而他則加入一群移民， 踏上漫長又危險的旅程，

from Central America

從中美洲

to a job a family member said was open for him in the United States.

到美國，因為一位親人說

在那裡有個工作在等著他。

By now we're all familiar with what awaited them

現在我們都很清楚 在美墨邊界等著他的是什麼：

at the US-Mexico border.

The harsher and harsher penalties doled out to those crossing there.

針對跨越美墨邊界的人 越來越嚴厲的處罰。

The criminal prosecutions for crossing illegally.

非法跨越邊界的刑事訴訟。

The inhumane detention.

不人道的拘留。

And most terribly, separation of families.

最糟糕的是拆散家庭。

I'm here to tell you that not only is this treatment wrong,

我來這裡是要告訴大家， 這種對待方式不僅是錯的，

it's unnecessary.

也是不必要的。

This belief that the only way to maintain order

這種相信只有用不人道的手段

才能維持秩序的想法

is with inhumane means

is inaccurate.

是不對的。

And in fact, the opposite is true.

事實上，正好相反。

Only a humane system will create order at the border.

只有人道的制度

才能在邊界建立秩序。

When safe, orderly, legal travel to the United States is available,

如果有安全、有秩序、 合法的通路可以到美國，

very few people choose travel that is unsafe,

就會很少有人選擇用不安全、

混亂，或非法的通路。

disorderly or illegal.

Now, I appreciate the idea

我知道合法移民

that legal immigration could just resolve the border crisis

能夠解決邊界危機的想法

might sound a bit fanciful.

可能聽起來有點像是幻想。

But here is the good news:

但，我有好消息：

We have done this before.

我們以前做過。

I've been working on immigration for years

多年來我一直致力於移民，

at the Cato Institute

我待過卡托研究所

and other think tanks in Washington DC

以及華盛頓特區的其他智囊團，

and as the senior policy adviser for a republican member of Congress,

也擔任過一名國會共和黨 議員的資深政策顧問，

negotiating bipartisan immigration reform.

協商讓兩黨共同支持移民改革。

And I've seen firsthand

我曾經親眼見過

how America has implemented a system of humane order at the border

美國如何在美墨邊界

實施人道秩序的制度。

for Mexico.

It's called a guest worker program.

它叫做外籍勞工專案。

And here's the even better news.

還有更好的消息。

We can replicate this success for Central America.

我們可以把這項成功 用在中美洲問題上。

Of course, some people

當然，有些人

will still need to seek asylum at the border.

仍然會需要在邊界尋求庇護。

But to understand how successful

但要了解這專案對於華安·卡羅斯

this could be for immigrants like Juan Carlos,

這種移民而言能有多成功，

understand that until recently,

了解直到最近，

nearly every immigrant arrested by Border Patrol was Mexican.

幾乎所有被邊境巡邏隊 逮捕的移民都是墨西哥人。

In 1986,

1986 年，

each Border Patrol agent arrested 510 Mexicans.

平均每位邊境巡邏隊隊員 逮捕了五百一十位墨西哥人。

Well over one per day.

絕對超過一天一名。

By 2019, this number was just eight.

到 2019 年，這個數字降至八名。

That's one every 43 days.

平均四十三天才一名。

It is a 98 percent reduction.

減少了 98%。

So where have all the Mexicans gone?

那麼，這些墨西哥人跑哪兒去了？

The most significant change

最重大的改變

is that the US began issuing

是美國開始核發

hundreds of thousands of guest worker visas to Mexicans,

數十萬張外籍勞工簽證給墨西哥人，

so that they can come legally.

讓他們能合法入境。

José Vásquez Cabrera was among the first Mexican guest workers

荷西·瓦斯克斯·卡布瑞拉就是

這次擴大簽證核發後 第一批受益的墨西哥外籍勞工。

to take advantage of this visa expansion.

He told "The New York Times" that before his visa

他告訴《紐約時報》， 在他拿到簽證之前，

he'd made terrifying illegal border crossings,

他曾經嘗試過可怕的非法入境方式，

braving near deadly heat and the treachery of the landscape.

要勇敢面對致命的高溫 和變幻莫測的地景。

One time, a snake killed a member of his group.

有一次，他團中有一個人被蛇咬死。

Thousands of other Mexicans also didn't make it,

另外還有數千名墨西哥人沒成功，

dying of dehydration in the deserts or drowning in the Rio Grande.

在沙漠脫水而死， 或是在格蘭河裡溺死。

Millions more were chased down and arrested.

還有數百萬人被追捕。

Guest worker visas have nearly ended this inhumane chaos.

外籍工作簽證幾乎解決了 這不人道的混亂。

As Vásquez Cabrera put it,

借用瓦斯克斯·卡布瑞拉的說法，

"I no longer have to risk my life

「我不再需要冒生命危險

to support my family.

來扶養我的家庭。

And when I'm here, I don't have to live in hiding."

當我在這裡時， 我不需要躲躲藏藏。」

Guest worker visas actually reduced the number of illegal crossings

外籍勞工簽證確實減少了 非法跨越邊界的人數，

more than the number of visas issued.

且減少的數目比 核發的簽證數目還多。

Jose Bacilio, another Mexican guest worker, explained why

荷西·巴西里歐是 另一位墨西哥外籍勞工，

他在四月向《華盛頓郵報》解釋原因。

to the "Washington Post" in April.

He said, even though he hadn't received a visa this year,

他說，雖然今年他沒有拿到簽證，

he wouldn't risk all of his future chances

他不會賭上他未來的所有機會

by crossing illegally.

來非法入境。

This likely helps explain why

這原因或可有助於解釋

為什麼從 1996 年到 2019 年

from 1996 to 2019

for every guest worker admitted legally from Mexico,

每當有一位外籍勞工 合法獲准從墨西哥進入美國，

there was a decline in two arrests of Mexicans crossing illegally.

非法入境而被逮捕的 墨西哥人數目就會少兩名。

Now, it's true,

的確，

Mexican guest workers do some really tough jobs.

墨西哥外籍勞工做的是 非常辛苦的工作。

Picking fruit, cleaning crabs,

採集水果、清理螃蟹、

landscaping in a 100-degree heat.

在攝氏三十七度高溫下造園。

And some critics maintain that guest worker visas

仍然有一些人批評外籍勞工簽證

are not actually humane

其實並不人道，

and that the workers are just abused slaves.

勞工只是被虐待的奴隸。

But Vásquez Cabrera thought a guest worker visa was liberating.

但瓦斯克斯·卡布瑞拉認為，

拿到外籍勞工簽證是豁免，

Not enslavement.

不是奴役。

And he, like nearly all other guest workers,

幾乎所有的外籍勞工和他一樣，

chose the legal path over the illegal one, repeatedly.

選擇合法途徑，而非非法途徑。

一而再再而三。

The expansion of guest worker visas to Mexicans

擴大核准外籍勞工簽證給墨西哥人

has been among the most significant humane changes

一直被視為是美國移民政策中

最重要的人道改變之一。

in US immigration policy ever.

And that humane change

這種人道改變，

imposed order on chaos.

在混亂中建立了秩序。

So where does this leave Central Americans,

那麼，華安·卡羅斯這些 中美洲人的處境會變得如何？

like Juan Carlos?

Well, Central Americans received

2019 年核發的外籍勞工簽證中，

just three percent of the guest worker visas issued in 2019,

只有 3% 發給中美洲人，

even as their share of border arrests has risen to 74 percent.

但在邊界被逮捕的人當中， 中美洲人的人數上升到 74%。

The US issued just one guest worker visa to a Central American

2019 年，每有七十八名 中美洲人非法入境，

for every 78 who crossed the border illegally in 2019.

才有一名中美洲人得到 美國核發的外籍勞工簽證。

So if they can't get their papers at home,

如果他們在家鄉拿不到文件，

many take their chances,

許多人會選擇賭賭看，

coming up through Mexico to claim asylum at the border

通過墨西哥來到美墨邊界， 要求庇護或非法入境，

or cross illegally,

even if, like Juan Carlos, they prefer to come to work.

即使他們像華安·卡羅斯那樣 偏好來工作，仍會選擇一賭。

The US can do better.

美國可以做得更好。

It needs to create new guest worker visas

美國需要專門為中美洲人

創造新的外籍勞工簽證。

specifically for Central Americans.

This would create an incentive for US businesses

這會鼓勵美國企業

to seek out and hire Central Americans,

去找到並僱用中美洲人，

paying for their flights to the United States,

幫他們付機票錢，讓他們來美國，

and diverting them from the illegal, dangerous trek north.

讓他們不用向北 走上非法、危險的旅程。

Central Americans could build flourishing lives at home,

中美洲人可以在家鄉 建立繁榮的生活，

without the need to seek asylum at the border

不需要到邊界尋求庇護 或非法跨越邊界，

or cross illegally,

freeing up an overwhelmed system.

讓已經招架不住的制度能喘口氣。

Some people might say

有些人可能會說，

that letting the workers go back and forth

讓勞工來來回回的方式

will never work in Central America

在中美洲是行不通的，

where violence is so high.

在那裡暴力太猖獗。

But again, it worked in Mexico,

但再說一次，這在墨西哥行得通，

even as Mexico's murder rate more than tripled over the last decade,

即使墨西哥的謀殺率 在過去十年增加到近三倍，

to a level higher than much of Central America.

比中美洲大部分地區都高。

And it would work for Juan Carlos,

對華安·卡羅斯而言行得通，

who said, despite the threats

他說，儘管家鄉有威脅存在，

he only wants to live in the United States temporarily,

他也只想暫時住在美國，

to make enough money

賺足夠的錢讓家人繼續住在新家。

to sustain his family in their new home.

He even suggested that a guest worker program

他甚至說，外籍勞工專案

would be one of the best things to help Hondurans like him.

是對他這種宏都拉斯人 而言最棒的幫助之一。

Cintia, a 29-year-old single mother of three from Honduras,

辛蒂雅二十九歲，

是來自宏都拉斯 三個孩子的單親媽媽，

seems to agree.

她似乎也認同。

She told the "Wall Street Journal" that she came for a job

她告訴《華爾街日報》 她來找一份工作，

to support her kids and her mom.

以扶養她的孩子和母親。

Surveys of Central Americans traveling through Mexico,

墨西哥的北方邊界大學針對

by the College of the Northern Border in Mexico,

穿越墨西哥的中美洲人進行調查，

confirm that Juan and Cintia are the norm.

確認了華安及辛蒂雅的情況是常態。

Most, not all, but most do come for jobs,

大部分人，並非全部， 但大部分人是為了工作而來，

even if, like the Riveras,

即使是像雷維拉這樣

they may also face some real threats at home.

在家鄉可能要面對真實威脅的人。

How much would a low-wage job help

低薪工作對於華安和辛蒂雅

這樣的宏都拉斯人有多大的幫助？

a Honduran, like Juan or Cintia?

Hondurans like them make as much

他們這樣的宏都拉斯人，

在美國工作一個月賺到的錢

in one month in the United States

as they do in an entire year working in Honduras.

等同於在宏都拉斯 工作一年賺到的錢。

A few years' work in the United States

中美洲人在美國工作幾年，

can propel a Central American into its upper middle class

就能讓自己推進到中上階層，

where safety is easier to come by.

也比較容易得到安全。

What Central Americans lack is not the desire to work.

中美洲人不缺工作的慾望，

Not the desire to contribute to the US economy,

不缺貢獻美國經濟

to contribute to the lives of Americans.

和貢獻美國人生活的慾望。

What Central Americans lack is a legal alternative to asylum.

中美洲人欠缺的是 取代庇護的合法替代方案。

To be able to do so legally.

讓他們走合法管道。

Of course, a new guest worker program

當然，新的外籍勞工專案

will not resolve 100 percent of this complex phenomenon.

不能完全解決這個複雜的現象。

Many asylum seekers will still need to seek safety

許多尋求庇護的人 仍需要到美國邊界尋求安全。

at the US border.

But with the flows reduced,

但一旦人數減少，

we can more easily work out ways to deal with them humanely.

我們就更容易想辦法 用人道的方式來處理他們。

But ultimately,

但最終，

no single policy has proven to do more

若要創建一個既人道

又有秩序的移民制度，

to create an immigration system that is both humane

已證明最好的方法

and orderly

than to let the workers come legally.

就是讓勞工合法進入。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）