VOA慢速英语：美国称最近几天移民人数意外下降

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden says the number of migrants crossing the southern U.S. border with Mexico has unexpectedly fallen.

美国拜登政府表示，穿越美国南部与墨西哥边境的移民人数意外下降。

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said border agents reported a 50 percent reduction in the number of migrants crossing the border since Thursday.

美国国土安全部部长亚历杭德罗·马约卡斯表示，边境工作人员的报告显示，自星期四以来，越境的移民人数减少了50%。

On that day, public health emergency measures in the U.S. came to an end.

当天，美国的公共卫生紧急措施宣告结束。

Mayorkas spoke on national television Sunday. He told CNN: "The numbers we have experienced in the past two days are markedly down over what they were prior to the end of Title 42."

马约卡斯星期天在国家电视台发表讲话。他告诉CNN:“过去两天，我们所经历的数字比第42条限令结束前明显下降。”

Title 42 is the part of U.S. law that deals with public health. Measures in that law permit public health officials to limit or stop entry into the United States by people who are not citizens if a disease is spreading in the country.

第42条限令是美国法律中涉及公共卫生的部分。在疾病蔓延时，该法律允许公共卫生官员限制或阻止非公民进入美国。

Myorkas credited criminal punishments for illegal migrants for the decrease in illegal entry. He said there were 6,300 encounters at the border on Friday and 4,200 on Saturday. But he warned that the new system has just started.

马约卡斯认为，对非法移民的刑事惩罚是非法入境减少的原因。他说，周五在边境发生了6300起冲突，周六发生了4200起。但他警告说，新制度才刚刚开始。

The earlier rules were put in place under former President Donald Trump when the spread of COVID-19 created a public health emergency. Trump also put in place limits on migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

此前的规定是在前总统特朗普执政期间实施的，当时新冠病毒的传播造成了公共卫生紧急情况。特朗普还对在美国寻求庇护的移民实施了限制。

President Joe Biden told reporters in Rehoboth, Delaware, that he believed the border situation was "much better" than critics expected.

拜登总统在特拉华州的里霍伯斯对记者说，他认为边境局势比批评人士预期的“好得多”。

The Biden administration is requiring migrants to plan a visit with immigration offices through an app. They can also seek protection in one of the countries they are passing through on their way to the U.S. border. Those who do not follow the process, and are caught, will not be permitted to try again for five years.

拜登政府要求移民通过一款应用程序计划前往移民办公室。他们还可以在前往美国边境的途中所经过的国家寻求保护。那些不遵守程序并被抓住的人，五年内不得重新申请。

Myorkas said: "There is a lawful, safe and orderly way to arrive in the United States. That is through the pathways that President Biden has expanded in an unprecedented way."

马约卡斯说:“有一种合法、安全和有序的方式可以到达美国。是拜登政府以前所未有的方式扩大的途径。”

Officials from communities near the U.S. border with Mexico say they had not seen the large numbers of migrants that they had feared would appear. However, in the weeks before the end of emergency powers, tens of thousands of migrants flooded border areas. Victor Trevino is mayor of Laredo, Texas. He said hospitals in his city were nearly full and an emergency declaration was in effect.

美国与墨西哥边境附近社区的官员表示，他们没有看到他们担心会出现的大量移民。然而，在紧急权力结束前的几周，成千上万的移民涌入边境地区。得克萨斯州拉雷多市市长维克托·特雷文诺说，他的城市医院接近满员，已宣布进入紧急状态。

It remains unclear if Congress will pass any new legislation on the issue. Republican Party members in the House approved legislation that would continue the building of a border wall and require asylum seekers to first request protection outside the U.S. But the Republican bill is unlikely to be taken up by the Senate which is controlled by the Democratic Party.

目前尚不清楚国会是否会就此问题通过其他新的立法。众议院共和党议员批准了一项法案，该法案将继续修建边境墙，并要求寻求庇护者首先在美国境外申请保护。但共和党的法案不太可能在民主党控制的参议院获得通过。

I'm Mario Ritter Jr.

小马里奥·里特报道。