I got a call from an admissions office from a university I had to applied to.

我接到一通電話，來自我要申請的大學的招生組

They wanted to see a green card. I was extremely embarrassed.

對方想要看綠卡，當下我羞愧得想鑽進洞裡

My mother just started crying. She started apologizing and told me that it was her fault and that she wanted a better future for us.

我媽哭了起來，她開始道歉並說全是她的錯，她不過是想讓孩子們得到更好的未來發展

That's Juan Escalante.

這是 Juan Escalante

When he was 11 years old, Juan and his family came to the United States from Venezuela,

他十一歲時和家人從委內瑞拉移民到美國

where life had become dangerous.

因為當時在委內瑞拉的生活處處充滿危機

We were driving, and we stopped at a red light.

我們開車停紅燈時

A man approached the car and he told my mother if she doesn't surrender the car to him...he's going to pull out a gun and kill one of her kids in the car, right there.

一個男人接近我們的車，並威脅我媽說如果不把車子讓給他，他就要當場拔槍射殺車內其中一個孩子

We picked up everything. We sold all our toys. And just embarked on this journey.

我們帶著全部家當，並典當所有玩具後，便坐上飛機開始這趟旅程

Juan made it to college, and graduated.

Juan 一路讀到大學畢業

But, because he was undocumented, he couldn't work, and he worried about being deported.

可是，由於他是非法移民，所以不能找工作，也擔心會被驅除出境

Even a trip to the grocery store, and get pulled over, and that's it, it's game over.

即使是去雜貨店買個東西、停個車，都有可能讓一切化為烏有

But that changed in June of 2012.

但一切在 2012 年有了轉變

Effective immediately, the Department of Homeland Security is taking steps to lift

立即生效！美國國土安全部正採取行動，以消除

the shadow of deportation from these young people.

這些年輕人害怕被驅逐出境的陰影

If you'd come to the US when you

如果你來到美國時

were under 16.

年紀小於十六歲

Then you could apply for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program -- basically,

那你便可以申請《童年抵達者暫緩驅逐辦法》，也稱之為 DACA 計畫

a permit that protects you from getting deported, and allows you to work legally in the U.S.

基本上就是一張許可證，可以保護你免於被驅除出境，還有容許在美國的合法工作權

Juan got this protection, and so did nearly 800,000 others who applied.

Juan 得到了這個保障，其他近八十萬申請此計畫的孩子也是

But now, that protection is gone.

可是現在，保障消失了

I'm here to announce that the program known as DACA, that was effectuated under the Obama administration, is being rescinded.

我在此宣布歐巴馬總統執政時期實施的 DACA 計畫將被廢止

DACA was designed to protect a generation

DACA 是為了保護

of young undocumented immigrants known as DREAMers,

非法的年輕移民，也就是俗稱的「追夢者」

named after a bill called the Dream Act which had been floating around Congress for more than a decade, with bipartisan support.

此名稱來自於《夢想法案》，一個在國會已逾十年的法案，其支持與反對的聲浪並存

The bill would have given unauthorized immigrants who grew up in the US a way to gain legal

這法案賦予在美國本土長大之非法移民

status and eventually apply for citizenship.

獲得合法身分地位的機會，而最終將可申請美國國籍

And even though it fell short of 60 Senate votes in 2010, the idea was still popular with the American public.

即使在 2010 年時參議院院內投票數不超過六十票，這個概念仍深得美國大眾的心

When President Obama announced DACA,

歐巴馬總統在

it was in the middle of the 2012 Presidential campaign, but it didn't turn into a huge campaign issue,

2012 年年中總統大選頒布 DACA 法案，但這個事件並沒有造成大轟動

because Republicans were really

因為共和黨

ambivalent, about turning immigration into a wedge issue.

對於移民入境抱有矛盾心態，他們擔心這會變成國家分裂的起因

We need to help accommodate these kids, who through no fault of their own find themselves in this legal limbo.

我們必須幫助安頓這些孩子，他們對於自身遊走在法律邊緣的處境也無能為力

We cannot forever have children who were brought here by their parents when they were small children to live in the shadows.

我們無法讓這些從小被家長帶來的孩子活在陰影下

But in 2014, Obama proposed making older immigrants eligible for DACA,

然而，2014 年時歐巴馬讓年紀稍長的移民也適用於 DACA 法案

and creating similar protections against deportation for undocumented parents with children who were US citizens.

並為非法移民之家長提供相似的保障措施，只要其小孩是美國公民

And a lot of Republicans said, "whoa, that's too far."

許多共和黨黨員都說：「這太超過了吧！」

These new actions would have protected about 4.5 million people -- nearly half the estimated

這些新採取的行動會保障約四百五十萬的人民，也就是將近

undocumented population.

非法移民人口數的一半

A group of 26 states sued the Obama administration over the expansion.

在這樣保障範圍擴張的情況下，二十六個州的人民代表甚至控告歐巴馬政府

And they won.

而他們勝訴了

A federal judge stopped the DACA expansions from going into effect — hinting that they

一位聯邦法官終止了 DACA 的實施，這暗示了

were probably unconstitutional.

也許這樣的權利擴張是違憲的

People had started thinking back to, well if those bigger programs were unconstitutional,

人民開始回想起來，如果連這樣重大的計畫都可能違憲的話

what does that say about this DACA program that's already in place?

那已經就定位的 DACA 計畫呢？

Then came Donald Trump.

接著川普繼位了

Trump: When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.

川普：墨西哥送過來的人，都不是最好的

They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime.

他們帶來毒品、犯罪率

They're rapists.

而且是強姦犯

Once Donald Trump became the leading Republican presidential candidate, running

一旦川普成為共和黨的總統候選人

on an immigration hard line platform,

並建立一個和移民劃清界線的平台

Republicans started to look at things in a new light.

共和黨黨員就會開始用不同的角度看待事情

If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be talking about illegal immigration.

要不是我發聲，你們也不會這樣談論非法移民的問題

When Trump won, DACA's fate seemed sealed.

當川普當選時，DACA 的命運似乎已成定局

But even though he revoked lots of Obama's other executive orders on immigration,

但即使他撤回許多歐巴馬對於移民的行政命令

nearly 8 months into his term, he still hadn't ended DACA.

上任近八個月以來，他也還沒廢止 DACA

A lot of the immigration hawks began to go "wait, we were promised that you were

許多反對移民入境的鷹派開始不滿：「等等，

gonna get rid of this amnesty that exists right now, what the heck happened?”

你不是保證會取消現有的特赦權嗎？到底是怎樣？」

So a bunch of states threatened to sue the government over DACA again if Trump

所以許多州要脅，如果川普沒有廢止 DACA 的話

didn't get rid of it.

他們就提告

Which brings us to early September, 2017

現在時間轉到 2017 年九月初

It is my duty to ensure that the laws of the United States are enforced and that the constitutional order is upheld.

我的職責是確保美國法律的執行與憲政體制的維護

It's a very stark message that leaves a whole lot of people,

這是非常赤裸裸的訊息

who only consider themselves to be Americans, in limbo for the next several months.

讓許多認為自己是美國人的人民，在接下來幾個月都遊走在法律邊緣

In the five years it's been around, DACA has had a big impact on young undocumented immigrants.

這五年來，DACA 對年輕的非法移民造成很大的影響

A survey of DACA recipients found nearly 70 percent got a job with better pay.

一個調查顯示，受惠於 DACA 的人民有將近百分之七十都能找到薪水更好的工作

More than 60 percent opened their first bank account

超過百分之六十的人開了人生第一個銀行帳戶

Nearly 65 percent bought their first car,

近百分之六十五的人買了第一輛車

and a similar share say they've pursued educational

同樣比例的人認為自己得以追求

opportunities they previously couldn't.

以前認為得不到的教育機會

But when these protections expire over the coming weeks, months or years, they'll be

但當這些保障將在接下來幾個禮拜、幾個月或是幾年內過期時，他們

back where they started before 2012 -- unable to work legally and constantly at risk for deportation.

便會回歸 2012 以前的日子 -- 無法合法工作， 還有經常面臨被驅逐出境的險境