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A House-Senate Conference Committee has agreed to an immigration reform bill.
众议院参议院会议委员会对移民改革法案表示认同。
The measure, which had died in the final days of the last two Congrsses,
在上两轮国会会议的最后几天，此法案本已被废，
now looks as though it will become law. NPR's Cokie Roberts reports.
但现在看来却将立法。NPR记者科基·罗伯特报道。
One of the chief advocates of the immigration bill, New York Democrat Charles Schumer,
移民法案的主要倡导人之一，纽约民主党参议员查尔斯·舒默，
says that this year immigration became a white hot issue,
说今年移民问题成为了高度热点问题，
that the forces fighting against the measures finally had a force on the opposite side of equal rate public opinion.
那些移民措施的反对力量，最终在其对立面上看到了公众舆论的效果，二者势均力敌。
The opponents of immigration reform have always been many:
反对移民改革的人总是很多：
Hispanics in Congress and in the country have opposed the part of the bill most lawmakers consider key
国会内部及外部的拉美裔人士，反对的部分恰是大多数议员心中的关键
--- punishment for employers who knowingly hire illegals.
——即对明知故犯，雇佣非法移民的雇主予以惩罚。
The measure, passed at a conference today,
此法案今天在会议上获得通过，
would provide civil penalties and criminal penalties for those who repeatedly hire illegal aliens.
将允许对那些多次雇用非法移民的雇主给予民事及刑事处罚。
Hispanics worry the employer sanctions would cause discrimination against anyone with an accent or Spanish name, whether legal or not.
西班牙裔担心对雇主的制裁，会导致人们对操着西班牙口音或起着西班牙名字的人造成歧视，无论其是否合法。
The new bill includes strong anti-discrimination language for employers who do refuse to hire any Hispanics
新法案包含了鲜明的反歧视语言，对于那些的确拒绝雇佣任何一位西班牙裔，
while still allowing someone to hire a citizen before an alien.
但却允许优先雇佣本国人的雇主。
To appease Hispanics and others,
为了安抚西班牙裔和其他人，
the immigration bill includes amnesty for aliens who have been in this country for five years.
该移民法案对在美国生活五年的外国人予以大赦。
Many border state representatives fought against the legalizsation provisions,
许多边境州份的代表反对该法案的规定，
saying that millions of people could eventually become citizens and bring their relatives to this country.
说那样的话，最终可以成为（美国合法）公民的人数将有数百万，还会把他们的亲戚带到这里。
All those people could bankrupt the state's social services,
所有这些人都可能让州内社会服务陷入瘫痪，
said the representatives, but the idea of deporting all of those people seemed impractial as well as inhumane to most members of Congress.
代表们说，对于大多数国会议员而言，将他们全部驱逐的想法，似乎很不实际，也不人道。
And aliens who came to this country before 1982 will be able to apple for legalization.
但对于1982年以前抵达美国的外国人将可被认为合法。
The other major controversial area of the immigration bill is the farm worker program.
移民法案的另一个主要争议点是农场工人计划。
Agricultural interests wanted to be able to bring workers into this country to harvest crops without being subjected to employer sanctions,
农业利益团体希望工人来到这个国家，收割庄稼，而不必受到针对雇主的惩罚，
but the trade unions opposed this section of the bill.
但是工会对此部分表示反对。
Finally, a compromise was reached where up to three hundred and fifty thousand farm workers could come into this contry,
最后，达成了一项妥协，能入境的农场工人最多不超过35万名，
but their rights would be protected and they would also be able to apple for legalization if they met certain conditions.
但是他们的权利将得到保护，如果满足一定条件，他们也能被合法化。
They elements of the final immigration package have been there all along,
最终的移民法案要素一直在那里，
but this year, say the key lawmakers around this legislation,
但今年，这项立法的主要立法者说，
the Congress was ready to act on them.
国会准备对他们采取行动。
The combination of horror stories about people coming over the borders
关于非法移民越境的恐怖传闻以及国会无力采取行动的社论，
and editorials about congressional inability to act made members of Congress decide the time had come to enact immigration reform.
使得国会议员决定，颁布移民改革方案的时候到了。
But supporters of reform warn the end is not here yet.
但改革的支持者警告说，这一切最终还没完。
The conference report must still pass both houses of Congress,
会议报告还必须通过两院，
and a Senate filibuster is always a possibility.
而来自参议院的阻挠随时都有可能发生。
