Erika Pinheiro: What's really happening at the US-Mexico border -- and how we can do better | TED

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Twice a week,

每週有兩天，我會從我在 墨西哥提華納附近的家中開車

I drive from my home near Tijuana, Mexico,

over the US border, to my office in San Diego.

跨越美國邊界，到我位於 聖地牙哥的辦公室。

The stark contrast between the poverty and desperation on one side of the border

邊界的一邊，是貧困和絕望，

和另一邊的明顯富裕 是很強烈的對比，

and the conspicuous wealth on the other

always feels jarring.

這對比總讓我覺得震撼。

But what makes this contrast feel even starker

但有個因素更突顯這種對比感覺，

is when I pass by the building that those of us who work on the border

那就是當我經過在邊界 工作的人的大樓時，

unaffectionately refer to as the black hole.

那裡有個冰冷的稱號：黑洞。

The black hole is the Customs and Border Protection,

黑洞是海關及邊境保衛局，

or CBP facility,

簡稱 CBP，

at the San Ysidro port of entry,

位在聖伊席卓入境口岸，

right next to a luxury outlet mall.

就在奢侈的過季商品購物中心旁。

It's also where, at any one time,

此外，不論何時在那裡

there's likely 800 immigrants

都會有大約八百名移民

locked in freezing, filthy, concrete cells below the building.

被關在建物底下寒冷、 骯髒的水泥牢房中。

Up top: shopping bags and frappuccinos.

上面：購物袋和星冰樂。

Downstairs: the reality of the US immigration system.

下面：美國移民體制的現實。

And it's where, one day in September of 2018,

2018 年九月的某一天，在那裡，

I found myself trying to reach Anna,

我試著去接觸安娜，

a woman who CBP had recently separated from her seven-year-old son.

CBP 最近才將這名女子 和她的七歲兒子拆散，

I'm an immigration attorney

我是移民律師，

and the policy and litigation director of Al Otro Lado,

也是 Al Otro Lado 的 政策及訴訟主任，

a binational nonprofit helping immigrants on both sides of the US-Mexico border.

這是一個雙國非營利組織， 旨在協助美墨邊界兩邊的移民。

We'd met Anna several weeks earlier at our Tijuana office,

幾週前，我們在才在 提華納的辦公室見過安娜，

where she explained that she feared she and her son would be killed in Mexico.

在那裡，她解釋說她害怕她 和她的兒子在墨西哥會被殺害。

So we prepared her for the process of turning herself over to CBP

所以我們幫她準備流程，

讓她能向 CBP 尋求庇護。

to ask for asylum.

A few days after she'd gone to the port of entry to ask for help,

在她去入境口岸尋求協助的幾天後，

we received a frantic phone call

她在美國的家人打電話 給我們，像是抓狂了似的，

from her family members in the United States,

telling us that CBP officials had taken Anna's son from her.

告訴我們 CBP 官員已經 將她的兒子帶離她身邊。

Now, not that this should matter,

並不是說這很重要，

but I knew that Anna's son had special needs.

但我知道安娜的兒子有特別的需求。

And once again,

又一次，這消息讓我充滿了 慌張和不祥的感覺，

this news filled me with the sense of panic and foreboding

that has unfortunately become a hallmark of my daily work.

很不幸，這種感覺已成為 我日常工作的特徵。

I had a signed authorization to act as Anna's attorney,

我簽署了授權書， 以安娜的律師的身份行事，

so I rushed over to the port of entry

所以我趕去入境口岸，

to see if I could speak with my client.

去看看我能否和我的客戶說話。

Not only would CBP officials not let me speak to Anna,

CBP 的官員不僅不讓我跟安娜說話，

but they wouldn't even tell me if she was there.

甚至不告訴我她是否在那裡。

I went from supervisor to supervisor,

我找了一個又一個主管，

begging to submit evidence of Anna's son's special needs,

請求讓我提交證據， 說明安娜的兒子有特殊需求，

but no one would even talk to me about the case.

但甚至沒有人願意跟我談這個案件。

It felt surreal to watch the shoppers strolling idly by

看著購物者無所事事地 從這個攸關生死的情境旁邊

what felt like a life-and-death situation.

閒逛過去，感覺好不真實。

After several hours of being stonewalled by CBP,

在被 CBP 阻礙了好幾個小時之後，

I left.

我離開了。

Several days later,

幾天後，

I found Anna's son in the foster-care system.

我在寄養照顧體系中 找到安娜的兒子。

But I didn't know what happened to Anna

但我不知道安娜的狀況，

until over a week later,

直到超過一週後，

when she turned up at a detention camp a few miles east.

她出現在東邊幾英里外的拘留營中。

Now, Anna didn't have a criminal record,

安娜沒有任何犯罪記錄，

and she followed the law when asking for asylum.

且她在尋求庇護時有依循法律。

Still, immigration officials held her for three more months,

移民官員仍然又把她拘禁了三個月，

until we could win her release

直到我們能幫她爭取到釋放，

and help her reunify with her son.

並協助她和她的兒子重聚。

Anna's story is not the only story I could tell you.

我還可以告訴各位 很多像安娜這樣的故事。

There's Mateo, an 18-month-old boy,

還有個十八個月大的男孩馬提歐，

who was ripped from his father's arms

他被從他父親的懷抱中抓走，

and sent to a government shelter thousands of miles away,

送到幾千英里外的政府庇護所，

where they failed to properly bathe him for months.

在那裡，有好幾個月 他們都沒有好好幫他洗澡。

There's Amadou,

還有一個無人陪伴的 非洲小孩阿馬杜，

an unaccompanied African child,

who was held with adults for 28 days in CBP's horrific facilities.

和成人一起關在 CBP 的 可怕機構中足足二十八天。

Most disturbingly, there's Maria,

最讓人不舒服的是瑪莉亞，

a pregnant refugee who begged for medical attention for eight hours

她是懷孕的難民，

懇求醫療照護懇求了八個小時，

before she miscarried in CBP custody.

然後她在 CBP 的監管之下流產了。

CBP officials held her for three more weeks

CBP 官員還把她再關了三個星期，

before they sent her back to Mexico,

才把她送回墨西哥，

where she is being forced to wait months

在那裡，她被迫等了數個月，

for an asylum hearing in the United States.

才等到在美國的庇護聽證會。

Seeing these horrors day in and day out has changed me.

日復一日見到這些 恐怖的狀況，讓我改變了。

I used to be fun at parties,

以前，在派對上我總是很有趣，

but now, I inevitably find myself telling people

現在，我總會不由自主要告訴別人

about how our government tortures refugees at the border

我們的政府在邊界及拘留營中

and in the detention camps.

如何虐待難民。

Now, people try to change the subject

對方會試著改變話題，

and congratulate me for the great work I'm doing in helping people like Anna.

恭喜我做得很好， 幫助了像安娜這樣的人。

But I don't know how to make them understand

但我不知道要如何讓他們了解

that unless they start fighting, harder than they ever thought possible,

除非他們開始對抗， 且付出超乎他們想像的努力，

we don't know which of us will be the next to suffer Anna's fate.

不然我們不會知道， 我們之中誰會成為下一個安娜。

Trump's mass separations of refugee families

川普在南方邊界 大量將難民家庭拆散的政策

at the southern border

shocked the conscience of the world

震驚了世界的良知，

讓許多人驚覺到 美國移民體制的殘酷。

and woke many to the cruelties of the US immigration system.

It seems like today,

似乎，現今，

more people than ever are involved in the fight for immigrant rights.

為了移民權利而戰的人 比以往都還要多。

But unfortunately, the situation is just not getting better.

但不幸的是，情況並沒有好轉。

Thousands protested to end family separations,

數千人站出來抗議， 要求終止將家庭拆散，

but the government is still separating families.

但政府仍然在拆散家庭。

More than 900 children have been taken from their parents

從 2018 年六月至今，

就有超過九百名孩子 被帶離他們的父母，

since June of 2018.

Thousands more refugee children have been taken from their grandparents,

還有數千名難民孩子在邊界

siblings and other family members at the border.

被帶離他們的祖父母、手足， 以及其他家庭成員。

Since 2017,

從 2017 年起，

at least two dozen people have died in immigration custody.

至少有二十多個人 在移民監管之下死亡。

And more will die, including children.

還有更多人會死亡，包括孩童。

Now, we lawyers can and will keep filing lawsuits

我們律師能，而且會持續提出告訴，

to stop the government from brutalizing our clients,

來阻止政府殘酷對待我們的客戶，

but we can't keep tinkering around the edges of the law

但如果我們希望移民受到人道對待，

if we want migrants to be treated humanely.

我們就不能只是 在外緣做些小修小補。

This administration would have you believe that we have to separate families

政府會要你相信， 我們必須要將家庭拆散，

and we have to detain children,

我們必須要拘留孩子，

because it will stop more refugees from coming to our borders.

因為這樣才能阻止 更多難民來到我們的邊界。

But we know that this isn't true.

但我們知道這不是真的。

In fact, in 2019,

事實上，2019 年，

the number of apprehensions at our southern border

我們在南方邊界 逮捕的人數其實在上升。

has actually gone up.

And we tell people every day at the border,

每天，我們都在邊界告訴大家：

"If you seek asylum in the United States,

「若你想向美國尋求庇護，

you risk family separation,

就要冒著家庭被拆散、

and you risk being detained indefinitely."

無限期被拘留的風險。」

But for many of them, the alternative is even worse.

但，對他們許多人來說， 另一個選擇更糟糕。

People seek refuge in the United States for a lot of different reasons.

人們向美國尋求庇護的理由很多。

In Tijuana, we've met refugees from over 50 countries,

在提華納，我們見過來自 超過五十個國家的難民，

speaking 14 different languages.

說十四種不同的語言。

We meet LGBT migrants from all over the world

我們見過來自世界各地的 LGBT （同/雙性戀與跨性別）移民，

who have never been in a country in which they feel safe.

未曾到過讓他們感到安全的國家。

We meet women from all over the world

我們見過來自世界各地的女性，

whose own governments refuse to protect them

她們自己的政府拒絕保護她們，

from brutal domestic violence or repressive social norms.

讓她們遭受殘忍的家庭暴力 或壓迫式的社會規範。

Of course, we meet Central American families

當然，我們也見過中美洲的家庭，

who are fleeing gang violence.

他們要逃離幫派暴力。

But we also meet Russian dissidents,

但我們也見過俄國的異議人士、 委內瑞拉活動家、

Venezuelan activists,

Christians from China, Muslims from China,

來自中國的基督徒、穆斯林，

and thousands and thousands of other refugees

還有數以千計的其他難民，

fleeing all types of persecution and torture.

想要逃離各種迫害和虐待。

Now, a lot of these people would qualify as refugees

根據國際法的定義，這些人當中，

under the international legal definition.

很多都符合難民的資格，

The Refugee Convention was created after World War II

難民地位公約是在 二次大戰後訂立的，

to give protection to people fleeing persecution

旨在保護逃離迫害的人，

based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion

因為種族、宗教、國籍、政治意見，

or membership in a particular social group.

或因是特定社會族群的一員 而遭受迫害的人。

But even those who would be refugees under the international definition

但即使是符合國際定義的難民，

are not going to win asylum in the United States.

也無法取得在美國的庇護權。

And that's because since 2017,

那是因為，從 2017 年起，

the US Attorneys General have made sweeping changes to asylum law,

美國總檢察長針對庇護法 做了大刀闊斧的改變，

to make sure that less people qualify for protection in the United States.

以確保符合美國 保護資格的人數變少。

Now these laws are mostly aimed at Central Americans

這些法律的主要對象是中美洲人，

and keeping them out of the country,

想避免他們進入美國，

but they affect other types of refugees as well.

但也會影響到其他類的難民。

The result is that the US frequently deports refugees

結果是，美國經常遣返難民，

to their persecution and death.

讓他們面臨迫害及死亡。

The US is also using detention to try to deter refugees

美國也用拘留手段來威懾難民，

and make it harder for them to win their cases.

且讓他們更難勝訴。

Today, there are over 55,000 immigrants detained in the United States,

現今，有超過五萬五千名 移民被拘留在美國，

many in remote detention facilities,

許多是拘留在偏遠的拘留機構中，

far from any type of legal help.

遠離任何法律協助。

And this is very important.

這點非常重要。

Because it's civil and not criminal detention,

因為這是民事而非刑事拘留，

there is no public defender system,

沒有公設辯護人的體制，

so most detained immigrants are not going to have an attorney

所以，多數被拘留的移民 不會有律師協助處理案件。

to help them with their cases.

An immigrant who has an attorney

有律師的移民

is up to 10 times more likely to win their case

勝訴的機會比沒有 律師的移民高出十倍。

than one who doesn't.

And as you've seen, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,

各位已經知道，我很討厭 當傳遞壞消息的人，

but the situation is even worse for refugee families today

但現今難民家庭隔離期間

所面臨的情況比以往更加糟糕。

than it was during family separation.

Since January of 2019,

2019 年一月起，

the US has implemented a policy

美國實施了一項政策，

that's forced over 40,000 refugees to wait in Mexico

迫使超過四萬名難民

在墨西哥等待美國的庇護聽證會。

for asylum hearings in the United States.

These refugees, many of whom are families,

這些難民中有很多都是家庭，

are trapped in some of the most dangerous cities in the world,

他們被困在世界上 最危險的一些城市中，

where they're being raped, kidnapped

在那裡，他們被犯罪集團 強暴、綁架、勒索。

and extorted by criminal groups.

And if they survive for long enough to make it to their asylum hearing,

如果他們能撐到庇護聽證會，

less than one percent of them are able to find an attorney

只有不到 1% 的人能找到律師

to help them with their cases.

來協助處理他們的案件。

The US government will point to the lowest asylum approval rates

美國政府會用最低的庇護核准率，

to argue that these people are not really refugees,

主張這些人不是真的難民，

when in fact, US asylum law is an obstacle course

但，事實上，美國的庇護法本身

就是一種障礙賽， 設計來讓難民申請失敗的。

designed to make them fail.

Now not every migrant at the border is a refugee.

在邊界的移民並非都是難民，

I meet plenty of economic migrants.

我遇過許多經濟移民。

For example, people who want to go to the United States to work,

比如，有些人是想到美國工作，

to pay medical bills for a parent

以支付父母親的醫療費用， 或孩子在家鄉的學費。

or school fees for a child back home.

Increasingly, I'm also meeting climate refugees.

我漸漸也遇到一些氣候難民。

In particular, I'm meeting a lot of indigenous Central Americans

特別是一些中美洲的原住民，

who can no longer sustain themselves by farming,

他們所處的地區發生災難性的乾旱，

due to catastrophic drought in the region.

讓他們無法再靠農業來維生。

We know that today,

我們知道，現今，

people are migrating because of climate change,

有些人會因為氣候變遷而移居，

and that more will do so in the future,

在未來還會越來越多這樣的人，

but we simply don't have a legal system to deal with this type of migration.

但我們卻沒有法律制度 可以處理這種移民。

So, it would make sense, as a start,

所以，合理的做法是，

可以從擴展難民的定義開始著手，

to expand the refugee definition

to include climate refugees, for example.

比如將氣候難民也納入。

But those of us in a position to advocate for those changes

但是我們這些主張改變的人

are too busy suing our government

忙於起訴我們的政府，

to keep the meager legal protections that refugees enjoy under the current law.

以保持難民在現行法律下 所享有的微薄的法律保護。

And we are exhausted,

我們累壞了，

and it's almost too late to help.

現在伸出援手也幾乎是太遲了。

And we know now

我們現在知道 這不只是美國的問題。

that this isn't America's problem alone.

From Australia's brutal offshore detention camps

從澳洲殘酷的近海拘留營，

to Italy's criminalization of aid to migrants drowning in the Mediterranean,

到在義大利將援助地中海

快要淹死的移民定為刑事犯罪，

first-world countries have gone to deadly lengths

第一世界國家不遺餘力

to keep refugees from reaching our shores.

防範難民登陸。

But they've done more than restrict the refugee definition.

但，它們所做的不只是 限制難民的定義。

They've created parallel, fascist-style legal systems

它們創造出了平行的 法西斯風格法律制度，

in which migrants have none of the rights that form the basis of a democracy,

在這樣的制度下，移民完全沒有 形成民主基礎的那些權利，

the alleged foundation of the countries in which they're seeking refuge.

據稱這些權利還是他們 尋求庇護的國家的基礎。

History shows us that the first group

歷史告訴我們，第一個被詆毀

to be vilified and stripped of their rights is rarely the last,

並被剝奪權利的族群， 通常都不是最後一個，

and many Americans and Europeans

且，許多美國人和歐洲人

seem to accept an opaque and unjust legal system for noncitizens,

似乎能接受非公民受到不透明、 不公正的法律制度對待，

because they think they are immune.

因為認為不會發生在自己身上。

But eventually,

但最終

these authoritarian ideals bleed over and affect citizens as well.

這些專制理念也會影響到公民。

I learned this firsthand

我親身學到這件事，

when the US government placed me on an illegal watch list

當時美國政府把我 列入非法觀察名單中，

for my work helping immigrants at the border.

因為我在邊界做協助移民的工作。

One day, in January of 2019,

2019 年一月的某一天，

I was leaving my office in San Diego

我離開聖地牙哥的辦公室，

and crossing the border to go back to my home in Mexico.

跨越邊界要回到我在墨西哥的家。

Mexican officials, although they had given me a valid visa,

雖然墨西哥官員 先前給了我有效的簽證，

stopped me and told me that I couldn't enter the country

仍然把我擋下來，說我不能入關，

because a foreign government had placed a travel alert on my passport,

因為有一個外國政府 針對我的護照發了旅行警示，

designating me as a national security risk.

指稱我會造成國家安全的風險。

I was detained and interrogated in a filthy room for hours.

我被拘留在一間骯髒的房間 並接受訊問數個小時。

I begged the Mexican officials

我求墨西哥官員

to let me go back to Mexico and pick up my son,

讓我回去墨西哥接我的兒子，

who was only 10 months old at the time.

那時他才十個月大。

But they refused,

但他們拒絕了，反之，

and instead, they turned me over to CBP officials,

他們將我移交給 CBP 官員，

where I was forced back into the United States.

他們強迫我回到美國。

It took me weeks to get another visa so that I could go back to Mexico,

我花了數週的時間才取得 另一張簽證讓我回墨西哥，

and I went to the border, visa in hand.

我到了邊界，手上拿著簽證。

But again, I was detained and interrogated

但，我再次被拘留和訊問，

because there was still a travel alert on my passport.

因為我的護照仍然 在旅行警示名單上。

Shortly after,

沒多久之後，

leaked internal CBP documents

流出來的 CBP 內部文件

confirmed that my own government

證實了我自己的政府

had been complicit in issuing this travel alert against me.

共謀針對我發出旅行警示。

And since then, I haven't traveled to any other countries,

那之後，我就沒有再 旅行到任何其他國家，

because I'm afraid I'll be detained

因為我擔心我會被拘留，

and deported from those countries as well.

且被驅逐出那些國家。

These travel restrictions, detentions

這些旅行限制、拘留，

and separation from my infant son

及把我跟襁褓中的兒子分離，

are things I never thought I would experience as a US citizen,

我從來沒有預期到 身為美國公民會遇到這些事，

but I'm far from the only person being criminalized for helping immigrants.

但除了我之外還有很多人， 也都因為協助移民而被當成罪犯。

The US and other countries have made it a crime to save lives,

美國和其他國家讓拯救人命 變成了犯罪行為，

and those of us who are simply trying to do our jobs

而我們這些只是想做好工作的人

are being forced to choose between our humanity and our freedom.

則被迫要在自身的 人性和自由間抉擇。

And the thing that makes me so desperate

讓我感到非常絕望的是，

is that all of you are facing the same choice,

各位都面臨同樣的抉擇，

but you don't understand it yet.

只是你們還不知道。

And I know there are good people out there.

我知道外頭有些好人存在。

I saw thousands of you in the streets,

我看到數千人走上街頭

protesting family separation.

抗議將家庭拆散。

And that largely helped bring about an end to the official policy.

這些動作對於終止 這官方政策有很大的幫助。

But we know that the government is still separating children.

但我們知道政府仍在將孩童分離。

And things are actually getting worse.

情況還變得更糟糕。

Today, the US government is fighting for the right

現今，美國政府在爭取將難民孩童

to detain refugee children indefinitely in prison camps.

無限期拘留在拘留營中的權利。

This isn't over.

這還沒結束。

We cannot allow ourselves to become numb or look away.

我們不能讓我們自己 麻木或當作沒看見。

Those of us who are citizens of countries

是我們國家的政策

whose policies cause detention, separation and death,

在造成拘留、拆散，及死亡，

need to very quickly decide which side we're on.

我們公民必須很快 決定站在哪一邊。

We need to demand that our laws respect the inherent dignity of all human beings,

我們得要要求我們的法律 尊重所有人類與生俱來的尊嚴，

especially refugees seeking help at our borders,

特別是在我們的邊界 尋求協助的難民，

but including economic migrants and climate refugees.

但也包括經濟移民及氣候難民。

We need to demand that refugees get a fair shot

我們得要讓那些難民有平等的機會

at seeking protection in our countries

在我們的國家內尋求保護，

by ensuring that they have access to council

做法是要確保他們能商議協調，

and by creating independent courts

並建立獨立的法庭，

that are not subject to the political whims of the president.

這些法庭不能受到總統 一時政治念頭的影響。

I know it's overwhelming,

我知道要做的非常多，

and I know this sounds cliché, but ...

我知道這些起來很老套，但……

we need to call our elected representatives

我們得要打電話給我們選出的代表，

and demand these changes.

要求做出這些改變。

I know you've heard this before,

我知道各位以前就聽過這些， 但你們打電話了嗎？

but have you made the call?

We know these calls make a difference.

我們知道這些電話能造成不同。

The dystopian immigration systems being built up in first-world countries

第一世界國家所建立的 這些反烏托邦移民體制

are a test of citizens

是對公民的考驗，

to see how far you're willing to let the government go

要測試的是當你們認為 這些事不會發生在自己身上時，

in taking away other people's rights when you think it won't happen to you.

願意讓政府奪取 他人的權利到什麼程度。

But when you let the government take people's children

但，當你們允許政府不經過 適當的流程就帶走別人的孩子，

without due process

and detain people indefinitely without access to council,

並無期限拘留別人， 不讓他們取得諮詢，

you are failing the test.

你們就是沒有通過考驗。

What's happening to immigrants now

現在是移民遇到這些事，

is a preview of where we're all headed if we fail to act.

我們如果不採取行動， 將來就換我們了。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）