In an interview with the news program “Axios on HBO,” President Donald Trump announced that he plans to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship, the principle that everyone born in the United States, with a handful of exceptions, is automatically a citizen of the United States.
在接受 HBO 旗下新闻网站 Axios 的采访时，总统唐纳德·特朗普宣称，他计划发布一个行政令来取消出生公民权。而该权利指的是（除了少数例外）每一个出生在美国的人即自动成为美国公民的这项原则。
DonaldTrump’s unconstitutional dreams
“It was always told to me,” the president declared, “that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t.”
总统断言称：“人们总是告诉我，你需要一个宪法修正案。你猜怎么着？你并不需要。”
In fact, such an order would undoubtedly be unconstitutional. It would also violate a deeply rooted American idea—that anybody, regardless of race, religion, national origin or the legal status of one’s parents, can be a loyal citizen of this country.
事实上，这样的行政令无疑是违反宪法的。这还将同时违背一个根深蒂固的美国式理念——任何人，不论种族，宗教信仰，民族血统，父母是否拥有合法身份，都可以成为这个国家的忠实公民。
Birthright citizenship is established by the Civil Rights Act of 1866, still on the books today, and by the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified two years later. Adopted as part of the effort to purge the United States of the legacy of slavery, the principle of birthright citizenship remains an eloquent statement about the nature of American society, a powerful force for assimilation of the children of immigrants and a repudiation of our long history of racism.
出生公民权是由《1866 年民权法案》（该法案至今依旧记录在册）和 1868 年通过的《宪法第十四条修正案》确立的。美国曾试图肃清奴隶制遗留的影响，而出生公民权作为该尝试的一部分，至今仍是美国社会性质的一份有力声明，是同化移民子女的强大力量，并代表着我们与漫长的种族主义历史之间的恩断义绝。
Trump’s prospective order would deny citizenship to children born in the United States to noncitizens. It is especially aimed at undocumented immigrants who supposedly pour into the country to have “anchor babies”—one of the president’s numerous exaggerations when it comes to the dangers posed by immigration.
特朗普可能发布的这项行政令将会否认那些父母非公民而出生在美国的儿童的公民身份。该政令还特别针对那些据说想要通过“定锚婴儿”涌入美国的非法移民，而“定锚婴儿”是总统在谈到移民引发的危险时采用的众多夸张说法之一。
Trump’s order, if issued, will not only violate both the Constitution and deeply rooted American ideals, but also set a dangerous precedent. If the president can unilaterally abrogate a provision of the Constitution by executive order, which one will be next?
如果特朗普颁布了行政令，不仅会违反宪法和根深蒂固的美国理想，还会开创一个危险的先例。如果总统可以通过行政令单边撤销宪法中的一条条款，下一条将会是什么呢？
————— 文章来源 / 纽约时报
重点词汇
unconstitutional/ˌʌnˌkɑːnstɪˈtuːʃənl/adj. 违反宪法的
executive order（美国总统颁布的具有法律效能的）行政命令
birthright citizenship出生公民权
e.g.Education is every child's birthright.
constitutional amendment宪法修正案
e.g.an amendment to existing laws
on the books（法律上）记录在册的
amendment/əˈmendmənt/n. 改动，修正
ratify/ˈrætɪfaɪ/v. 签署，正式批准
e.g.ratify a treaty(条约)
purge/pɜːrdʒ/v. 清洗、清除（不愿有的）情感（或记忆、情形）；肃清（人或群体）
e.g.purge the party of extremists/extremists from the party
Nothing could purge the guilt from my mind.
legacy/ˈleɡəsi/n. 遗留问题，后遗症
e.g.The war has left a legacy of hatred.
eloquent/ˈeləkwənt/adj. 有说服力的；清楚表明的
e.g.Her eyes were eloquent of her thoughts.
assimilation/əˌsɪməˈleɪʃn/n. 同化
repudiation/rɪˌpjuːdiˈeɪʃn/n. 拒绝接受，拒绝与…往来 (repudiate v.)
prospective/prəˈspektɪv/adj. 很可能发生的
e.g. a prospective buyer
supposedly/səˈpoʊzɪdli/adv. 据称 （suppose v.）
e.g. a poem supposedly written by Shakespeare
anchor/ˈæŋkər/n. 锚
exaggeration/ɪɡˌzædʒəˈreɪʃn/n. 夸张 (exaggerate v.)
precedent/ˈpresɪdənt/n. 先例
e.g.Such a president is without precedent in history.
unilaterally /ˌjuːnɪˈlætrəli/adv. 单边地
abrogate /ˈæbrəɡeɪt/v. 撤销，取消（法律，权利，正式协议）
e.g.abrogate the rule/the treaty
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