奧巴馬宣佈大規模移民改革方案
President Barack Obama has unveiled the biggest changes to the US immigration system in decades, removing the threat of deportation hanging over nearly 5m people but intensifying a fierce battle with Republicans over the limits of his power.
美國總統巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)公佈了美國移民制度幾十年來最大規模的改革方案，讓近500萬人免受被驅逐出境威脅。不過，此舉也進一步激化了他與共和黨人在其權限問題上的爭端。In a high-profile televised address, Mr Obama appealed directly to America’s history as a nation of immigrants, saying allowing unauthorised immigrants with long-term ties to the US to “come out of the shadows and get right with the law” was part of the American ideal.
在一次備受關注的電視講話中，奧巴馬回顧了美國作爲移民國家的歷史，並表示，讓那些與美國建立了長期聯繫的非法移民“不再生活在陰影中，得到法律認可”是美國理想的一部分。
“For all the back-and-forth of Washington, we have to remember that this debate is about something bigger. It’s about who we are as a country, and who we want to be for future generations,” the president said.
奧巴馬計劃爲美國許多非法移民授予臨時法律地位，這些移民的人數估計高達1100萬。這一計劃是美國現代歷史上對移民問題動用總統權力最爲激進的一次，並引發了共和黨人的憤怒反彈。
“Are we a nation that tolerates the hypocrisy of a system where workers who pick our fruit and make our beds never have a chance to get right with the law?”
在11月中期選舉中取得了一系列壓倒性勝利之後，共和黨人將從明年1月開始執掌美國國會參衆兩院。對於奧巴馬繞開國會，就移民改革採取單邊行動的決定，資深共和黨人誓要迅速予以強硬迴應。Mr Obama’s plan to grant temporary legal status to a large chunk of America’s estimated 11m unauthorised immigrants is the most sweeping use of presidential authority on the issue in modern US history, and has already prompted a furious backlash from the GOP.
美國政府高級官員表示，白宮在週四勾勒出的改革計劃將令逾400萬非法移民免遭驅逐出境。這些人除了是美國公民或合法永久居民的父母之外，還要滿足在美國居留了5年以上的條件。根據這一計劃，他們還將有權獲得工作許可。With the party set to take charge of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in January after a stunning series of wins in November’s midterm elections, senior Republicans have vowed to respond immediately and forcefully to the president’s decision to bypass Congress and take unilateral action on immigration reform.
其他改革舉措還會影響到另外幾十萬人，其中包括了部分來自國外的熟練技術員工——儘管硅谷企業的呼籲並未全部得到滿足。此前，這些硅谷企業曾遊說要求發放更多工作許可。While some members of the party are still pushing for a government shutdown similar to the one it precipitated last year over the president’s equally contentious healthcare law, other senior figures are advocating a more measured tone.
其他商業團體對該計劃卻反應冷淡。他們警告說，這些改革措施弊大於利，原因是它們會降低更大範圍立法改革的可能性。而後者才能促進勞工市場的發展、提高消費以及增加稅收。“He needs to understand something,” said Mitch McConnell, the incoming Republican Senate majority leader, on Thursday. “If President Obama acts in defiance of the people and imposes his will on the country, Congress will act.”
奧巴馬政府高級官員表示，此舉將有助於美國經濟，併爲美國家庭帶來更多安全感。不過，共和黨人卻抨擊奧巴馬越權，並批評他獎勵的是那些違反美國法律的人。The White House plans outlined on Thursday will shield more than 4m unauthorised immigrants from deportation, said senior administration officials. They are the parents of US citizens or legal permanent residents who have been in the country for more than five years and will also become eligible for work permits.
對於與高科技有關的移民，白宮表示，將努力幫助在美國大學學習科學技術的外國學生畢業後留在美國，不過具體細節仍有待研究。Other changes will affect several hundreds of thousands more people – including some highly skilled tech workers from overseas, although Silicon Valley companies that had lobbied for more work permits will not get everything they called for.
此外，針對那些能證明他們擁有創業計劃並能找到投資者，從而能開辦企業增加就業的外國創業者，美國政府還設立了一種“有條件許可(parole)”項目。
