Along the U.S.-Mexico Border
As the president fights to build a wall between the United States and Mexico, the journalists Azam Ahmed and Meridith Kohut are driving along the approximately 1,900-mile border and sending dispatches.
沿著美國與墨西哥的邊境線
隨著美國總統努力要在美國和墨西哥邊境建一堵牆，記者Azam Ahmed和Meridith Kohut一起驅車沿著這個邊境線大約走了1900英裡並且發回了稿件。
Goods flow freely. People? That’s another story.
貨物能夠順利的流通，但是人員就；另當別論了。
Asylum seekers who are waiting for a chance to present their case to American immigration authorities camp out on the bridge connecting Laredo and Nuevo Laredo.
尋求庇護收容的人們在連接拉雷多市以及新拉雷多市之間的橋上搭帳篷宿營，以等待能夠將他們自己的案例遞交給美國移民當局的機會。
NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico – Thirteen thousand trucks a day. A million dollars a minute.
That, on average, is the value of the cargo that crosses the border between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo on the United States-Mexico border.
新拉雷多，墨西哥—一萬三千輛卡車一天，一百萬美元每分鐘。就是每天在美國與墨西哥邊境的拉雷多市以及新拉雷多市之間流通的貨物的平均市值量。
Here, between the two Laredos, the border is booming. Trucks loaded with everything from car parts to packaged food hum across a bridge that has been specially designated for commerce, making it the largest land port in the Americas.
在兩個拉雷多之間，邊境貿易繁榮發展。拉著囊括汽車零部件到食品的大卡車們轟鳴著從這座專門用來進行經貿活動的橋上經過，使這裡成為了美國最大的陸地港口。
「We are the heart of Nafta,」 says Edgardo Pedraza, the head of the Customs Brokers Association in Nuevo Laredo, who insists on being called Gary. 「I think of the two sides as one Laredo.」
「我們是北美貿易協定的核心組成，」 新拉雷多市客戶經理人協會主席E.P. 說到，他堅持讓大家叫他Gary。「我認為這兩邊的拉雷多應該是一個城市。」
Gary himself has dual nationality and is married to an American citizen. His children go to school in the United States, and the family has homes on both sides of the border.
Gary 自己有雙重國籍，他與一個美國公民結了婚。他的孩子在美國上學，但是他們家在邊界線的兩邊都有家。
Geographically, the two cities practically run into each other, bisected only by the Rio Grande. Children cross from Mexico to the United States to attend school. Workers cross, too, as do shoppers, who return with outlet mall bags at all hours of the day.
從地理角度上來說，兩個城市彼此交融，僅僅通過Rio Grande河來劃分。孩子們從墨西哥到美國境內去上課。工人們和商戶主們也是如此。在一天的所有時間段裡都可以看到這些人們從折扣商場裡拎著購物袋返回墨西哥。
The outlet mall in Laredo, next to the border crossing bridge, seen from Nuevo Laredo.
從新拉雷多看跨境的橋以及對面拉雷多的折扣商場。
The two cities share a baseball team, and a history dating back a century and a half. Spanish is spoken on both sides, forging a cultural bond distinct to border towns.
Neither side wants the wall. The river, for most, is border enough.
這兩座城市有同一個可以追溯到一個半世紀前的棒球隊。西班牙語在邊境線的兩邊都被使用，融合形成了一種不同於其他邊境城鎮的文化紐帶。兩邊都不希望川普所倡導的牆被建起來。這條河的存在就足夠顯示這裡是邊境線了。
But even here, there is a stark difference in the freedom of movement of goods versus people.
但是即便在這裡，也存在這貨物流通與人員往來的巨大差異。
Every day, hundreds of Mexicans, many with wives and children still living in the United States, are deported and dropped off in Nuevo Laredo.
每天，數百計的墨西哥人，很多人的夫人和孩子仍舊生活在美國，從新拉雷多出發離開美國。
Migrants who have just been deported to Mexico are welcomed back in an orientation session at the Tamaulipas Institute for Migrants.
遣返回墨西哥的移民們在墨西哥北部城市塔毛利帕斯州的移民機構組織的歡迎回歸主題慶典上。
「We have grown so much with the United States in terms of trade, commerce and technology,」 said José Martín Carmona Flores, the head of the Tamaulipas Institute for Migrants, a state agency tasked with managing the return to Mexico of tens of thousands of migrant. 「But we have never really been able to achieve this with the flow of people.」
「在貿易，經濟以及技術層面，我們已經與美國深深發展到了一起，」 塔毛利帕斯移民中心主任J.M.C.F. 說道，這個中心是一家國家機構用來管理數萬計的返回墨西哥的移民。「但是我們從沒有能真正的實現這一目標，因為如潮水般的在邊境處往來的人。」
Mr. Carmona had just finished a welcome session for deported migrants, a class of largely men haggard from spending a varying number of weeks in detention on the American side.
Carmona先生剛剛結束一個歡迎被遣返的移民人員的活動，這是一些以男人為主的，在美國邊境滯留了數周的人。
Mr. Carmona spoke to them as a coach might to the players of a losing team. He told them they were special – not just anyone could make the passage north as they had done. They worked harder than most, clocking in 14-hour days in the United States, and Mexico needed them.
Carmona先生就如同教練對失去了比賽的隊員一般交流。他告訴他們是特殊的—並不是每一個人都能夠如同他們一般到達北邊（美國邊境境內）。他們比大多數人都努力工作，在美國每天工作14個消失，並且告訴他們墨西哥需要他們。
「We can’t work like you guys,」 he said.
「我們根本無法像你們一樣工作，」他說道。
People waiting to apply for asylum stay at this overcrowded migrant shelter for weeks, sometimes months.
等待申請移民庇護的人們在這個擁擠的移民所等到數周，甚至數個月。
「People may look at your tattoos, earrings or the way you walk and wonder what you’re all about,」 he added, miming a tough-guy walk that elicited a round of laughter from the men.
「人們可能通過你的紋身，耳環或者走路的方式來猜測你是什麼樣的人，」 他補充道，並模仿一個硬漢引發了周圍一些人的笑聲。
「The truth is, you guys are going to replace us, you work harder than we do,」 he said. 「And we need you. We need you to lift this country up.」
「事實是，你們會取代我們，你們比我們更努力的工作，」他說道。「我們需要你們。我們需要你們提升這個國家的士氣。」
A few faces crumpled, the men caught off guard by the kind words. One man began to weep. Afterward, Mr. Carmona sent them off to grab a meal before their bus trips back home.
有一少部分人動容了，他們聽到這些好言相勸後卸下了防禦。一個人開始抽泣。之後，Carmona先生在他們返回家鄉前安排他們吃了飯。
「Most of them, when they return, it’s their dignity that’s suffered the most,」 he later explained. 「Our job is to lift them up and tell them how important they are, to respect the sacrifices they made.」
「他們中的大多數在回來的時候，自尊受到了最為嚴重的摧殘，」他之後解釋道。「我們的工作就是提振他們的士氣，並且告訴他們自己的重要性，並且尊重他們自己做出的犧牲。」
To help them acclimate, Mr. Carmona called in a pair of executives from a trucking company to register anyone interested in a job. With a nationwide shortfall of more than 200,000 drivers, the company promised good wages, at least by Mexican standards.
為了幫助他們適應，Carmona先生從一個火車運輸公司找來兩個執行人員登記任何想要一個工作的人。由於這個國家全境範圍內有超過200,000個駕駛人員的短缺，這個公司答應提供至少在墨西哥的水平上非常好的工資。
Just past the American customs checkpoint on the Texas side, a torpid groan fills the air as tractor-trailers ease past in quick succession, destined for states across America.
在剛過德克薩斯邊境的美國海關檢查站的地方，隨著拖拉機拖車的快速駛過邊境線，開往美國境內的各個州，消極的抱怨瀰漫在空氣中。
Drivers queue on the raised surface of a traffic island, waiting for their rigs to clear the booth and for the start of their shifts.
駕駛員們在交通島凸起的地面上排著隊，等待著他們的卡車被檢查，等待著開始輪到他們。
「We need the U.S. and the U.S. needs us, too,」 Jonathan Gamboa, a 29-year-old driver from Mexico, said one recent morning.
「我們需要美國，美國也需要我們。」 J. G. 一個29歲的墨西哥司機在最近的一個早晨這樣說。
Mr. Gamboa accepts his place in the order of things: He has a visa that lets his transit through the United States, but not lives there. He could make a good living driving on the American side, but that was it.
Gamboa先生接受了他自己的位置：他有籤證可以通往美國，但是不能在那裡生活。他可以通過開車在美國維持一個不錯的生活，但是這就是事實。
「Every day the merchandise crosses and I cross with it,」 he said with a shrug. 「And I’m O.K. with that. I just can’t live in Texas.」
「每天商人們跨越邊境線，我也一樣，」 他聳了聳肩說道。「對於這件事我無所謂。我只是不能在德克薩斯生活而已。」
They were buried without names. Now some,
at least, have recovered their identities.
這些人都被淹沒在了人海中，沒有人知道他們的名字。
不過現在，至少他們中一的一些人恢復了自己的身份。
It’s about an hour-and-a-half drive from the nearest border crossing to the town of Falfurrias, the seat of Brooks County, Tex.
大約要花費一個半小時的車程才能從最近的邊境開到德克薩斯州Brooks縣的Falfurrias鎮。
From the highway, Texas unfurls in wide sheets of scrubland, dense understories of small trees and thorny brush that rise in gnarled stands along the sandy plains. Patches of mesquite, black brush, and huisache crowd the horizon.
從快速路起，德克薩斯的土地布滿了灌木叢林地，濃鬱的小的樹木以及尖刺的樹叢等下層林木盤根錯節地生長在沙化的平原上。零零散散的豆科植物，黑色的矮樹叢以及莿毯花等漫山遍野。
Like the border itself, which lies some 80 miles away, it is an unwelcoming place for migrants.
就如同綿延80英裡的邊境線一樣，這裡同樣是不受移民人群喜愛的地方。
More than 700 have perished in transit through Brooks County over the last 15 years, claimed by heat and dehydration while trying to find their way along the parched tracts of ranchland. The real number is surely higher. The local sheriff, Benny Martinez, thinks only one in five is ever found.
在過去的15年曆以及有超過700人在通過Brooks縣的途中遇難，他們由於高溫和脫水在沿著農場乾枯的土地尋找道路時遇難。真實的數據顯然會更高。當地警長，B.M.， 認為只有五分之一的遇難者被找到了。
Migrants disperse here after crossing into the United States, avoiding a border patrol checkpoint. They trek through the dried-out terrain, seeking shade under the boughs of live oaks. Hunters occasionally stumble across hats, empty water jugs and leathered remains banked against trees.
移民們在到達後便從這裡分散出去，以躲避邊境巡邏隊的檢查。他們徒步穿越乾旱的地面，在橡樹的大樹枝下尋求陰涼。獵人們偶爾會發現帽子，空的水壺以及堆在樹旁的皮革。
In spite of the risk, migrants continue to make the journey through the wilds of Brooks County year after year, carried along by hope. And every year, dozens die. No one believes his or her journey will end like this. They can't. Here, the dead do not teach the living.
儘管有風險，移民者們帶著希望一年接一年地穿過Brooks 縣的荒野。 而且每一年，數十人死在了這條路上。沒有人相信自己的旅途會這樣結束。他們不會這樣去想。在這裡，死亡並不會給活著的人帶來教訓。
More than 700 migrants have died to pass through Brooks County over the last 15 years, lost among the parched tracts of ranch land.
在過去的15年裡，有超過700個移民者死在了穿過Brooks縣城的路上。他們消失在了乾燥的農場土地上。
For years, the remains were conveyed to the county cemetery in Falfurrias, then interred in the open space along its peripheries, often in plots too small or poorly located to sell.
多年來，這些遺骸被埋葬在了Falfurrias的縣公墓裡，還有公墓周邊的空曠場地，這些地方往往都是太小或者位置不好而不好賣掉的墓地。
No one is quite sure how many were buried; until 2013, the county kept no records.
But Eddie Canales, the founder of the South Texas Human Rights Center, has forced the remains into the open, hoping to rescue them from anonymity.
沒有人確定有多少人被埋葬了：直到2013年，這個縣沒有保留記錄。但是E.C.，南德克薩斯人權中心創始人，將這些遺骸強行公開，希望不在不知其名的情況下處理他們。
Since 2013, anthropologists have been coming with their students to exhume the bodies and extract DNA samples. With no maps or records, they dig narrow trenches guided by the memories of local gravediggers. The samples are then cross-referenced with missing person databases.
自從2013年起，人類學家們與他們的學生將這些屍體挖掘出來，提取DNA樣本。沒有地圖或者記錄，他們根據當地墓地挖掘人的記憶來挖掘。這些數據被與失蹤人口資料庫進行交叉對比。
Of the more than 150 remains unearthed in this cemetery, 30 have been identified.
「It’s for the families of the missing,」 said Kate Spradley, a forensic anthropologist from Texas State University overseeing the effort.
在這個公墓裡，有超過150個遺骸仍舊沒有被挖掘，30個已經被確認。「這個行動是為了失去了親人的家庭的」 一起來自德克薩斯州立大學法醫人類學家K.S.說到。
Dr. Spradley stood nearby as a team of students brushed the dirt away from a set of remains buried several feet deep. A worn trash bag, blistered by age, held the bleached bones stacked neatly inside.
Spradley博士站在一組正在用刷子清除埋在數英尺深的遺體上的土的學生旁邊。一個被丟棄了很久的以及開始起泡的垃圾袋裡，白色的骨頭堆放在裡面。
Above that, packed into the soil, she spotted the faint traces of calcified bone poking through the grit. Another body. That made 16 exhumed in just under a week.
The bodies tell their own stories, Dr. Spradley explained. One man carried photocopied money in his pockets to throw off robbers. Others are buried with stuffed animals. Some are buried clothed; others as skeletons, having died long before they were found.
在這具屍骸的上邊，她發現了一個鈣化了的骨頭插入砂土的輕微痕跡，是另一具屍骸。在短短的一周時間裡，就已經挖掘出了16具遺骸。這些屍體都在講述著自己的故事。Spradley博士解釋道。一個男人口袋裡裝著影印的錢來甩掉劫匪。其他人則和動物埋在了一起。一些屍體上還有衣物，另一些則就只剩下了骷髏，這說明在他們被發現之前已經死亡相當一段長的時間。
Each new discovery brings conflicting emotions, a sense of satisfaction tempered by sorrow. She wonders if they will ever find all of the remains.
每一個新的發現都帶來了矛盾性的情感，勝利感被悲傷衝淡。她想知道是否他們能夠找到所有的遺骸。
「You look around and you just think, 『There’s an open space, there’s an open space,』」 she said, scanning the verdant grounds, where fresh cut flowers lay against polished headstones. 「And there could be a migrant buried anywhere there.」
「你看向四周，就會想，『那裡還有一片空地，那裡也還有一片空地，』」她說，鬱鬱蔥蔥的地面，新開的鮮切花開在了打磨過的墓碑旁。「那裡可能是一個移民被埋在的地方。「
She paused for a moment. The sound of shovels striking dirt filled the cemetery.
她停頓了片刻。墓園裡充滿了鐵鍬挖土的聲音。
「I always think, you know, what if one of my family members went to another country and never came back,」 she said. 「Would anyone pick up the phone to help me? And if they picked up the phone, would they care enough to help me?」
」我總是在想，你知道嗎，如果我自己的一個家庭成員遠赴異國而且再也沒有回來，「 她說道。」有人會接聽我的電話並幫助我嗎？就算他們接起了電話，他們會足夠關注這件事來幫助我嗎？「
South Texas Human Rights Center staff and volunteers unload trucks after an afternoon spent resupplying water stations.
南德克薩斯人權中心工作人員和志願者在花費一下午時間給水站補充水後從汽車上卸貨。
Few did care here until 2013 when 130 bodies were found -- the largest number the county has ever recorded. It wasn’t that 130 died that year, only that, whether because drought cleared out more brush or out of plain dumb chance, they found that many remains.
直到2013年130餘具屍體被發現前，幾乎沒有人關注這裡——這是這個國家有記錄以來最大的發現屍體的數量。這並不是意味著這一年只有130個移民死亡，這只是說，是否乾旱清除了更多的樹叢，或者只是一個普通的機會，讓他們發現了這些屍體。
That was when Mr. Canales decided to come out of retirement to found the human rights center, after a career as a union organizer. A 70-year-old Texan with an easy laugh, he applied the same principles to human rights as he did to union organizing.
「Developing a connection, basically,」 he said, as he drove the public roads that demarcate thousands of acres of ranch land. 「And then, you know, I mean, I'm still the same pushy guy.」
Canales先生在這個時候決定從退休生涯裡解放出來，他以前是工會的組織者，他找到了人權組織。這位70多歲的德克薩斯人是一個愛笑的人。他在人權組織裡應用了跟在工會時同樣的制度。「首先建立起連接來，」他說道，當他在劃分著數千公頃的牧場的公路上駕車行駛的時候。「接著，你也知道，我還是那個喜歡咄咄逼人的傢伙。」
Mr. Canales was on his way to replenish water stations that he maintains for migrants passing through. A little more work for him might mean a little less for the gravediggers. The large blue bins sit along the roadside every half-mile or so, and carry up to six gallons of fresh water. He’s planted a flag near most, to help migrants spot them from the brush.
Canales先生當時正在去往移民經過的水補給站的路上。他自己多做一點可能就意味著那些挖掘墳墓的人少做一些。這些大大的藍色的罐體被設置在了路邊或多或少每半英裡的地方。這些罐體能夠裝大約6加侖的純淨水。他在附近立起了旗幟以方便移民們從灌木叢中能夠找到它。
Arianna Mendoza, left, a staff member at the South Texas Human Rights Center, and volunteers Megan Veltri, center, and Laney Feeser, replenish water stations.
A.M. 左邊的那位，一個南德克薩斯人權中心的工作人員，以及志願者M. V. 和L. F.，給水站補充水源。
Occasionally, people steal the barrels or puncture them to deter migrants. Canales brushes this off. 「You gotta be able to laugh,」 he said. 「It’s the only way to do this work.」
有時候，人們會偷走水桶或者擊打它們以阻止移民。Canales對這些都不予理睬。「你要能夠去笑對這些情況，」他說道。「這是能夠去幹這件事情的唯一辦法」
In the borderlands, of course, not everything is dark and serious. People live their lives as they do anywhere. Whatever the broader political debate, to most, this place is just home. And for some, it feels as though politicians who know little about the area are just trying to gain political points.
在邊境上，當然不是每一件事情都是黑暗或者嚴肅的。人們像在其他任何地方一樣過著自己的生活。無論邊境政治在激辯什麼，對於大多數人，這裡只是家。對於一些人，他們感覺政治家並不了解這裡，他們只是想要撈到政治資本。
「There’s certainly no crisis or state of emergency here,」 said Phillip Gómez.
「這裡確實沒有所謂的危機或者緊急情況。」 Philip Gomez說道。
Mr. Gómez was seated at the Jalisco Restaurant along the edge of the highway into town. The television was on over the bar, playing the highlights of President Trump’s speech in McAllen, Tex., about an hour and a half drive away.
Gomez先生坐在位於通往城鎮的高速路旁的Jalisco飯店裡。有一個電視機在吧檯那裡，播放著川普在一個距離這裡只有一個半小時車程的地方——McAllen的演講。
But no one was paying attention to that. The D.J. was gearing up for karaoke night. Regulars began filing in, introducing themselves to diners as if they owned the place.
但是沒有人在注意這些。D.J.正在為kalaok之夜做著準備。常客們開始陸續來到這裡，跟用餐者們介紹這自己就如同他們是這裡的主人一樣。
Phillip Gómez, right, sits at the bar in Jalisco Restaurant as, on the TV above, a paid commercial promoted Trump’s border wall.
Phillip Gomez，右手邊，坐在Jalisco飯店的吧檯旁，在頭頂的電視上，一段付費的商業推廣正講這川普的邊境牆計劃。
Mr. Gómez, a 64-year-old technician for DirecTV, sported a white handlebar mustache, plaid shirt and cowboy hat with a pair of sunglasses perched on top. He remained seated while he sang a slightly off-tune rendition of 「The Chair」 by George Strait.
Gomez先生，DirecTV的64歲的技術工，留著白色的車把狀的鬍子，穿著格子襯衫戴著牛仔帽，戴著一副太陽鏡。他坐在座位上輕輕的唱著George Strait的「The Chair」
Afterward, he didn’t much care to talk politics, though he allowed that everyone else seemed to want to talk about the border whether they lived there or not. Then he talked about the border.
之後，他並不太在乎去聊關於政治的話題，儘管他允許其他人，不管在不在這裡居住，都看起來想要去談論關於邊境的話題。然後他也就開始聊邊境了。
He agrees with Mr. Trump, he said, and though he feels bad for migrants fleeing violence, that’s no reason to let everyone just come into the U.S.
他同意川普先生，他說道，雖然他替那些移民被暴力驅逐感到不好，但是沒有道理讓任何人都可以來美國。
「Why do people have walls in their backyard?」 he asked, passing off the microphone for the second time that night, after a second George Strait song. 「Because they don’t want people in there. There’s no difference. Explain the difference to me.」
「為什麼人們會在他們的後院裡建牆？」 當晚第二次接到話筒並唱完第二首George Strait的歌的時候他問到，「因為他們不願意其他人來他們的院子裡。這沒有什麼差別。給我解釋一下這有什麼不同。」
Mr. Gómez, who speaks Spanish and whose great-grandparents immigrated from Mexico, doesn’t feel as if the system can bear much more.
Gomez先生，他講西班牙語且其祖父就是用墨西哥移民過來的，他不認為美國這個系統可以再承受更多了。
「I’m all for helping people,」 he said. 「But too many people are going to bring down our system.」
「我只是為了幫助人們，」他說道。「但是太多人將會將我們的社會系統拖垮。」
The border can be an obsession. Or an afterthought.
邊境線可以是一個令人痴迷的東西，也可能並非人們的第一想法。
There are no fences or border guards where the Rio Grande empties into the Gulf of Mexico, at the eastern endpoint of the border.
在Rio Grande河流入墨西哥灣的地方，是邊境線的東邊端點。這裡沒有籬笆或者邊境守衛。
There are no signs, markers or commemorations. Just a languid river passing through, bearing the scent and sediment of its nearly 1,900-mile journey before it expires quietly in the Gulf of Mexico.
A border comes to its end.
這裡沒有標誌，標識或者紀念碑。只有一條慵懶的河流過，攜帶著沿途1900英裡流程的氣息與泥土，靜靜的匯入了墨西哥灣。
There are no fences or border guards, no migrants huddled along its channeled banks. Just a few fishermen on either side casting into the low tide of early morning, equally stymied by an indifferent catch.
這裡沒有籬笆或者邊境守衛，沒有移民擁擠在河道的岸邊。只有極少數的漁民在清晨潮水低的時候進入水裡，同樣也因寥寥無幾的捕獲量而放棄來到這裡。
「Nada,」 said Juan González of his quarry, echoing the deflated sentiment of his counterparts angling on the American side.
「Nada」 Juan Gonzalez用這個詞來形容自己的收穫，回應來自美國那邊的同行的沮喪。
For Mr. González, a gas station attendant from nearby Matamoros, the border was an afterthought.
對於附近Matamoros的汽油站工作人員Gonzalez先生來說，跨越邊境不是他的第一選擇。
「I guess from here it’s pretty easy to cross,」 said Mr. González, who comes to fish the river’s estuary twice a month and has never made the swim across. Never had any reason to, he said. 「Here you don’t have walls and more walls like you do elsewhere.」
As the sun burned away the morning haze, a large white surveillance blimp was visible in the distance.
「我猜測從這裡應該非常容易過去，」 Gonzalez先生說道，他每個月都來到這條河流河口捕魚，從來沒有遊過去過。沒有什麼理由去這麼做，他說道。「在這裡沒有牆，但是跟其他很多地方一樣有很多牆。」 當太陽驅走晨霧的事後，一個巨大的白色的監視飛艇出現在了目光所及的不遠處。
Migrant men get free haircuts at a shelter near Matamoros, in Mexico by the border with the United States.
For José Jesús Espinoza, who sat at a migrant shelter an hour’s drive away in Matamoros, getting back over the border was all that mattered.
移民的男人們在美墨邊境處靠近Matamoros的聚集地接受免費的理髮。對於選擇在距離Matamoros一個小時車程的聚集地的J.J.E.來說，跨越邊境線是唯一重要的事情。
His deportation from the United States earlier this week brought him back to Mexico for the first time in 15 years. The border now bisected his life, with his wife and three children still in North Carolina.
本周早些時候他15年來第一次離開美國被遣返回墨西哥。這條邊境線劃分了他的生活，他的老婆和三個孩子現在仍舊在北加利福尼亞。
He would cross again, he knew that much. Legally, if possible. If not, given the current impasse over the border and migration, a wall would not stop him.
「We are going to cross one way or another,」 he said, offering an incongruous smile. 「I mean, we Mexicans have been doing that forever.」
他會再跨邊境線一次，他只知道這個。如果可能的話就合法的過去，如果不可能的話，就目前的邊境與移民僵局而言，一堵牆根本阻擋不了他。
「我們要通過一種或者其他的辦法跨國邊境線，」他說道，並露出了一個不協調的笑容。「我的意思是，我們墨西哥人以及幹這一行很長時間了。」
Just over the bridge, in Brownsville, Tex., Narce Gómez sat behind the counter of a hierbería, a store offering tarot card readings, statuettes of saints, herbal remedies and candles.
在剛跨國Brownsville橋的地方，Narce Gomez坐在一個Hierberia的吧檯後邊，這是一家銷售塔羅牌閱讀，聖徒雕像，草藥以及蠟燭的商店。
Narce Gómez offers tarot card readings, herbal remedies and candles at a hierbería in Brownsville. Her clientele is largely Mexican-American.
Narce Gomez提供塔羅牌閱讀，草藥以及蠟燭。他的客人多是墨西哥裔美國人。
Her clientele is largely Mexican-American, a population whose predecessors carried their cultures with them across the border generations before.
她的客人大多是墨裔美國人，他們的祖先數代之前將他們的文化傳統也帶到了邊境的這邊。
And perhaps that was the problem. There was a time, more than a decade back, when the lines of customers formed out the door to enter such shops. Nowadays, they are closing, one by one, as interest wanes.
也許這就是問題所在。十數年前，人們會在這樣的商店前排起長隊買東西，但是現在，隨著人們的興趣驟降，這些商店也一家接著一家關門了。
「Practically all of this comes from Mexico,」 she said, pointing to the disquieting lines of Santa Muerte effigies that lined her shop. 「It crossed along with the people a long time ago.」
「事實上這些都來自墨西哥，」她說道，指著一排排的Santa Muerte 的肖像，「這些東西在很久以前與人們都有交集。」
單詞學習
haggard /ˈhæɡərd/ TEM81 ADJ Someone who looks haggard has a tired expression and shadows under their eyes, especially because they are ill or have not had enough sleep. 面容枯槁的; 憔悴的
例：He was pale and a bit haggard. 他面色蒼白，面容枯槁。
2 N (in Ireland and the Isle of Man) an enclosure beside a farmhouse in which crops are stored (在愛爾蘭和曼島)農民在農舍旁儲放農作物的一塊圈地
3 N a hawk that has reached maturity before being caught 成年野鷹
1 V-T If you elicit a response or a reaction, you do or say something that makes other people respond or react. 引起 (反應)
例：Mr. Norris said he was hopeful that his request would elicit a positive response.
諾裡斯先生說他希望他的要求會引起積極的回應。
2 V-T If you elicit a piece of information, you get it by asking the right questions. 探得 (信息)
例：My letters to her have elicited no response. 我寫給她的信沒有得到回應。
crumple /ˈkrʌmpəl/1 V-T/V-I If you crumple something such as paper or cloth, or if it crumples, it is squashed and becomes full of untidy creases and folds. 弄皺; 起皺
例：She crumpled the paper in her hand. 她把手中的紙揉成了一團。
2 PHRASAL VERB Crumple up means the same as . 弄皺
例：She crumpled up her coffee cup. 她擠癟了咖啡杯。
3 ADJ 褶皺的
例：His uniform was crumpled and untidy. 他的制服有很多褶皺, 而且不整潔。
shortfall /ˈʃɔːtˌfɔːl/ TEM8N-COUNT If there is a shortfall in something, there is less of it than you need. 不足
例：The government has refused to make up a $30,000 shortfall in funding.
政府已經拒絕補足3萬美元的資金短缺。
unfurl /ʌnˈfɜːl/1 V-T/V-I If you unfurl something rolled or folded such as an umbrella, sail, or flag, you open it, so that it is spread out. You can also say that it unfurls. 展開 (傘、帆或旗幟)
例：Once outside the inner breakwater, we began to unfurl all the sails.
一出內防波堤，我們就開始展開所有的風帆。
2 V-I If you say that events, stories, or scenes unfurl before you, you mean that you are aware of them or can see them as they happen or develop. (事件、故事、場景等) 逐漸展開
例：The dramatic changes in Europe continue to unfurl. 劇變在歐洲繼續呈現。
disperse /dɪˈspɜːs/1 V-T/V-I When something disperses or when you disperse it, it spreads over a wide area. 使分散; 擴散
例：The oil appeared to be dispersing. 油看上去正在擴散。
2 V-T/V-I When a group of people disperses or when someone disperses them, the group splits up and the people leave in different directions. 驅散; 散開
例：Police fired shots and used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. 警察開槍並使用了催淚瓦斯來驅散示威人群。
trek /trɛk/ CET6+ TEM81 V-I If you trek somewhere, you go on a journey across a difficult country, usually on foot. (艱難地) 徒步旅行
例：...trekking through the jungles. …徒步穿越叢林。
2 N-COUNT Trek is also a noun. 徒步旅行
例：He is on a trek through the South Gobi desert. 他正徒步穿越南戈壁沙漠。
3 V-I If you trek somewhere, you go there heavily and unwillingly, usually because you are tired. 疲憊地行走
例：They trekked from shop to shop in search of white knee-high socks.
他們疲憊地奔波於一家又一家商店，尋找高到膝蓋的白色長筒襪。
stumble /ˈstʌmbəl/1 V-I If you stumble, you put your foot down awkwardly while you are walking or running and nearly fall over. 踉蹌; 絆腳
例：He stumbled and almost fell. 他絆了一下，差點兒摔倒。
2 N-COUNT Stumble is also a noun. 踉蹌; 絆腳
例：I make it into the darkness with only one stumble. 我只踉蹌了一下就把它弄進了黑暗中。
banked /bæŋkt/1 ADJ A banked stretch of road is higher on one side than the other. (路段)傾斜的; 一邊高一邊低的
例：He struggled to hold the bike down on the banked corners. 經過拐彎處的傾斜路面時，他竭力把穩自行車。
2 ADJ If a place is banked with something, it is piled high with that thing. If something is banked up, it is piled high. 堆積的; 高高堆起的
例：Flowerbeds and tubs are banked with summer bedding plants.
花圃及花盆中種滿了夏令花草。
例：The snow was banked up along the roadside. 雪在路邊高高地堆積著。
exhume /ɛksˈhjuːm/1 V-T If a dead person's body is exhumed, it is taken out of the ground where it is buried, especially so that it can be examined in order to find out how the person died. 挖掘(屍體以供檢驗)
例：His remains have been exhumed from a cemetery in Queens. 他的遺體已被從昆士郡的一個墓地裡挖了出來。
2 N-VAR
例：Detectives ordered the exhumation when his wife said she believed he had been killed. 當他的妻子說認為他已被殺時，偵探們要求挖掘屍體。
forensic /fəˈrɛnsɪk/ TEM81 ADJ Forensic is used to describe the work of scientists who examine evidence in order to help the police solve crimes. 法庭科學取證的
例：They were convicted on forensic evidence alone. 他們被僅憑法庭科學證據定了罪。
例：Forensic experts searched the area for clues. 法庭科學取證專家們為尋找線索而搜查了這個地區。
2 N-UNCOUNT Forensics is the use of scientific techniques to solve crimes. 法庭科學取證
例：...the newest advances in forensics. …法庭科學取證的最新進展。
worn /wɔːn/1 Worn is the past participle of . (wear)的過去分詞
2 ADJ Worn is used to describe something that is damaged or thin because it is old and has been used a lot. 用舊的; 用壞的
例：Worn rugs increase the danger of tripping. 用舊的地毯增加了絆跌的危險。
3 ADJ If someone looks worn, they look tired and old. 疲倦的; 衰老的
例：She was looking very haggard and worn. 她看上去非常憔悴而疲倦。
verdant /ˈvɜːdənt/ADJ If you describe a place as verdant, you mean that it is covered with green grass, trees, and plants. 草木覆蓋的
例：...a small verdant garden with a glorious view out over Paris. ...一個能夠俯瞰巴黎美景的草木蔥蘢的小花園。
demarcate /ˈdiːmɑːˌkeɪt/V-T If you demarcate something, you establish its boundaries or limits. 劃定
例：A special UN commission was formed to demarcate the border. 一個特別聯合國委員會被設立以期劃定邊界。
replenish /rɪˈplɛnɪʃ/1 V-T If you replenish something, you make it full or complete again. 重新充滿; 再度裝滿
例：Three hundred thousand tons of cereals are needed to replenish stocks. 需要30萬噸穀物才能重新裝滿倉庫。
brush offPHRASAL VERB If someone brushes you off when you speak to them, they refuse to talk to you or be nice to you. 不予理睬; 冷落
例：When I tried to talk to her about it she just brushed me off. 我試圖與她談談那件事，她就是不理我。
gear upPHRASAL VERB If someone is gearing up for a particular activity, they are preparing to do it. If they are geared up to do a particular activity, they are prepared to do it. 為…準備
例：...another indication that the country is gearing up for an election. …那個國家正為選舉做準備的另一種跡象
afterthought /ˈɑːftəˌθɔːt/N-COUNT If you do or say something as an afterthought, you do or say it after something else as an addition, perhaps without careful thought. 事後的想法; 馬後炮
例：Almost as an afterthought he added that he missed her. 幾乎是後來想起來，他補了句他想她了。
languid /ˈlæŋɡwɪd/ TEM81 ADJ If you describe someone as languid, you mean that they show little energy or interest and are very slow and casual in their movements. 無精打採的
例：He's a large, languid man with a round and impassive face. 他是一個無精打採的大漢，長著一張毫無表情的圓臉。
2 ADV 無精打採地
例：We sat about languidly after dinner. 我們飯後無精打採地坐著。
quarry /ˈkwɒrɪ/1 N-COUNT A quarry is an area that is dug out from a piece of land or the side of a mountain in order to get stone or minerals. 採石場; 礦場
例：...an old limestone quarry. …一處老的石灰巖開採場。
2 V-T When stone or minerals are quarried or when an area is quarried for them, they are removed from the area by digging, drilling, or using explosives. 開採; 在…處開採
例：The large limestone caves are also quarried for cement. 這些大石灰巖洞也用來開採水泥原料。
3 N an animal, bird, or fish that is hunted, esp by other animals; prey (被其他動物捕食的)動物、鳥或魚
4 N a square or diamond shape 正方形; 菱形
1 V-T If you deflate someone or something, you take away their confidence or make them seem less important. 使洩氣
例：I hate to deflate your ego, but you seem to have an exaggerated idea of your importance to me. 我不願傷你的自尊，但是你好像高估了你對我的重要性。
2 ADJ 洩氣的
例：When she refused I felt deflated. 她拒絕時，我感到很沮喪。
3 V-I When something such as a tyre or balloon deflates, or when you deflate it, all the air comes out of it. 放氣; 漏氣
例：We drove a few miles until the tyre deflated and we had to stop the car.我們開了幾英裡直到輪胎漏氣了，然後我們不得不停下車。
impasse /æmˈpɑːs/ TEM81 N-SING If people are in a difficult position in which it is impossible to make any progress, you can refer to the situation as an impasse. 僵局
例：The company says it has reached an impasse in negotiations with the union.
該公司稱與工會的談判已陷入僵局。
incongruous /ɪnˈkɒŋɡrʊəs/1 ADJ Someone or something that is incongruous seems strange when considered together with other aspects of a situation. 不協調的
例：She was small and fragile and looked incongruous in an army uniform.
她人瘦小，穿上軍裝顯得很不協調。
2 ADV 不協調地
例：...a town of Western-style buildings perched incongruously in a high green valley.
…一個西式建築風格的小鎮突兀地坐落在高處的綠色山谷中。
disquiet /dɪsˈkwaɪət/N-UNCOUNT Disquiet is a feeling of worry or anxiety. 憂慮不安
例：There is growing public disquiet about the cost of such policing. 對這樣的警務開支公眾憂慮不斷增長。
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