It's the holy grail of President Trump's immigration policy.

這是總統川普移民政策中最難達成的一部分。

“The United States will not be a migrant camp, and it will not be a refugee holding facility. It won't be.”

「美國不會成為移民湧入的地方，也不會成為難民營。沒這回事。」

But at the border, there's a kind of chaos unfolding that a wall might not fix.

但在邊境，一堵牆無從解決的騷動正在發生。

The Trump administration's hard-line stance on keeping migrants out is pushing asylum seekers to take remote and dangerous routes into the United States.

川普政府阻擋移民的硬派作風迫使尋求庇護者採取更偏僻、危險的道路進入美國境內。

Here's how this is playing out.

發展細節如下。

The border stretches nearly 2,000 miles, and these are the official ports of entry.

邊境長達近兩千英哩 (約三千多公里)，這些是官方的入境處。

More than 650 miles already have barriers installed.

有超過 650 英哩 (約一千多公里) 已經架設了障礙物。

Fences, barbed wire or vehicle barricades.

柵欄、帶刺鐵圈或是交通路障。

Over the years, that's pushed people to try riskier routes to get across.

幾年來，這迫使人們採取更高風險的路線入境。

And since 2014, more families have been arriving.

自 2014 年起，有更多的家庭抵達境內。

And many of them are seeking asylum, a human right protected by both U.S. and international law.

他們許多人都在尋求庇護，這是美國和國際法都保障的人權。

The Trump administration's hard-hitting crackdown includes a tactic called “metering.”

川普政府強力的鎮壓包含一種稱為「計量」的策略。

“Documents ready.”

「文件準備好。」

Entering through an official border crossing is one way to request asylum.

經由官方邊境入口入境是一個尋求庇護的方式。

But that's become more difficult under Trump.

但在川普政策下，難度變得越來越高。

The practice of metering allows border agents to limit the number of asylum seekers that are processed each day by delaying them from setting foot into the U.S.

「計量」的實施讓邊境官員能夠拖延他們入境美國的速度，限制每日收容的人數。

We can see it in action here, at the Paso del Norte crossing in El Paso, Texas.

我們在德州厄爾巴索的北境入口就能看到。

Officers are standing right at the border, trying to intercept people before they get to the border station.

官員就站在邊境上，試圖在人們抵達邊境站前就先攔截他們。

This tactic is deliberate.

這項政策是刻意安排的。

Once people reach U.S. soil, they have the right to claim asylum.

因為一旦人們抵達美國國土，他們就有權要求庇護。

But if they never cross the border, they have to come back another day.

但若是他們並未跨越邊境，他們就必須改天再來。

Metering is not new.

「計量」不是頭一遭了。

But the Trump administration has taken it to a new level.

但川普政府將它提升到了一個新境界。

“We're metering, which means that if we don't have the resources to let them in on a particular day, they're going to come back. So they're going to wait their turn.”

「我們在計量，意思是如果我們無法讓他們所有人在同一天進來，他們就必須回去。等輪到他們。」

But as the government is limiting asylum seekers, they're still funneling people to these same ports of entry to seek asylum.

但在政府限制收容人數時，人們依然不斷前往同一個入境口尋求庇護。

“Instead migrants seeking asylum will have to present themselves lawfully at a port of entry.”

「尋求庇護的移民必須改而在入境口採取合法程序。」

This is creating bottlenecks.

這也造成了瓶頸。

Here, in Tijuana, is a vivid example of how metering plays out.

蒂華納正是一個實施「計量」的鮮明例子。

Thousands of migrants are stuck.

數千位移民都被困住了。

Human rights observers say that some are camping in squalid and dangerous conditions.

人權觀察員表示，有些人在骯髒、危險的環境扎營。

The situation is leading migrants to try riskier routes through desolate terrain, where they're at greater risk of dehydration and other illnesses.

這個情況導致移民試著冒更大風險、走荒涼的道路，在那裡他們更可能脫水或是染上其他疾病。

They're showing up in places like Antelope Wells, N.M.

他們現身在像是新墨西哥州安蒂洛普韋爾斯的地方。

It's extremely remote and mountainous.

這地方非常偏僻而且多山。

Antelope Wells is part of the El Paso border area, which has seen a dramatic increase in the number of families crossing far away from official border stations.

安蒂洛普韋爾斯屬於厄爾巴索邊境區的一部分，在這裡，避開官方邊境站入境的家庭數正在急速攀升。

As you can see here, this increase happened right when the practice of metering expanded.

如你所見，這情況發生在「計量」政策擴大實施後。

And many are crossing in groups of 100 or more, like this one that arrived in January.

許多是由百人或是更多人數集體入境，例如這些在一月份抵達的人們。

But these remote outposts lack facilities, especially to deal with children.

但這些偏僻的前哨站缺乏設施，尤其缺乏兒童專用設施。

7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin and her father crossed here on Dec. 6, where they encountered Border Patrol.

七歲的 Jakelin Caal Maquin 和她的爸爸於 12 月 6 日從這邊入境，然後遇上了邊境巡邏。

They were brought to a nearby outpost, where Jakelin got sick.

他們被帶到臨近的前哨站，Jakelin 在這裡開始發病。

It took an overnight journey with multiple stops, including a 94-mile bus ride and an air ambulance evacuation to get her to the children's hospital in El Paso.

他們連夜經過數站，包含 94 英哩 (約 150 公里) 的巴士車程和空中救護直升機，將她送到厄爾巴索的兒童醫院。

Her condition worsened, and she later died.

她的狀況惡化，不久離世。

12 days later, another father crossed the border in the El Paso area with his 8-year-old child.

12 天後，另一位父親帶著他的八歲孩子跨越厄爾巴索區的邊境。

Felipe Gomez Alonzo was in custody for six days.

Felipe Gomez Alonzo 受到為期六天的監護照顧。

He died from the flu on Christmas Eve.

但在聖誕節前夕離世。

Border Patrol officials say that they're not equipped to deal with all of this.

邊境巡邏官員表示，他們並沒有足夠的資源能夠應付這類情況。

“Our infrastructure is incompatible with this reality. Our Border Patrol stations and ports of entry were built to handle mostly male, single adults in custody, not families or children.”

「我們現存的組織架構和現實脫節。我們的邊境巡邏站和入境口多設立來處理受到監護的單身男性，而非家庭或是孩童。」

But the practice of metering is forcing people through more remote routes, in turn overtaxing these far-flung outposts and putting a strain on officers.

但是「計量」的實施正逼迫人們走更偏僻的路，變相施加負擔給這些遙遠的前哨站，讓官員們關係緊繃。

It's also leading to ever-more-dangerous consequences for migrants.

它也使移民面臨更危險的後果。