第1377期:As Brazilians Arrive at US, a Suspected Smuggler Profits

Record numbers of Brazilians have been arrested at the United States’ southern border this year. Police believe the investigation into one man has led them to one of the smuggling operations that moves migrants north.

今年在美国南部边境被捕的巴西人数量创历史新高。警方认为，对一名男子的调查使他们参与了一项将移民向北迁移的走私行动。

In early June, Brazilian federal police arrested Chelbe Moraes. He is a Brazilian businessman who is suspected of illegally taking his daughter to Paraguay after a dispute with her mother.

6 月初，巴西联邦警察逮捕了 Chelbe Moraes。他是一名巴西商人，在与母亲发生争执后，涉嫌非法将女儿带到巴拉圭。

During the investigation into the charges, police listened to the phone calls of Moraes' business partners. The officers began to suspect Moraes was an experienced people smuggler, or “coyote.”

在对指控进行调查期间，警方听取了 Moraes 商业伙伴的电话。官员们开始怀疑 Moraes 是一个有经验的人口走私者，或者“土狼”。

On June 25, a police report was sent to a federal judge and seen by Reuters. It asked that several criminal charges be filed against Moraes, including illegally moving a child, human smuggling and agreeing to perform an illegal act.

6 月 25 日，一份警方报告被发送给一名联邦法官，并被路透社看到。它要求对莫赖斯提出多项刑事指控，包括非法移动儿童、人口走私和同意进行非法行为。

Police accuse him of charging Brazilians around $20,000 each to illegally enter the United States via Mexico without legal visas. Court documents say Moraes built an international network that includes corrupt police officers and officials, and U.S.-based family members.

警方指控他向巴西人每人收取约 20,000 美元，以在没有合法签证的情况下通过墨西哥非法进入美国。法庭文件称，莫赖斯建立了一个国际网络，其中包括腐败的警察和官员，以及在美国的家庭成员。

Moraes said he is innocent. He told Reuters he runs a lawful agency that informs people on how to get asylum in the United States. He said he has helped up to 200 people over 20 years. He charges those who meet U.S. rules on asylum up to $18,086 to help them migrate.

莫拉斯说他是无辜的。他告诉路透社，他经营一家合法机构，负责告知人们如何在美国获得庇护。他说他在 20 年里帮助了多达 200 人。他向符合美国庇护规定的人收取高达 18,086 美元的费用，以帮助他们移民。

Moraes said his information is costly, “… because I know American laws.”

Moraes 说他的信息很昂贵，“……因为我了解美国法律。”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, say during the first 11 months of the 2021 financial year, 46,280 Brazilians were arrested by officials at the southern U.S. border, making them sixth among nationalities arrested at the border in 2021. More than 550,000 Mexicans have been arrested.

美国海关和边境保护局 (CBP) 表示，在 2021 财年的前 11 个月，有 46,280 名巴西人在美国南部边境被官员逮捕，使他们在 2021 年在边境被捕的国籍中排名第六。超过 550,000 名墨西哥人被捕被逮捕。

It is part of a wave of Latin American migrants leaving countries whose economies have been damaged by COVID-19. Southern border arrests have jumped to their highest levels in 20 years.

它是离开经济受到 COVID-19 破坏的国家的拉丁美洲移民浪潮的一部分。南部边境逮捕人数跃升至 20 年来的最高水平。

As of now, Moraes remains free in Brazil after saying he was not guilty of illegally taking his child to Paraguay. No charges have been placed in connection to a possible smuggling operation. This permits police to continue their investigation of Moraes.

截至目前，莫赖斯在巴西表示他没有非法将孩子带到巴拉圭的罪名后仍然自由。没有对可能的走私活动提出任何指控。这允许警方继续调查莫赖斯。

Two people who knew of his suspected actions, a former customer and a former partner, talked with Reuters. They said Moraes tells his customers to act like tourists when they arrive in Mexico. They also said Moraes sometimes helps his customers by paying Mexican immigration officials.

两个知道他的可疑行为的人，一个前客户和一个前合作伙伴，与路透社进行了交谈。他们说，莫赖斯告诉他的顾客在抵达墨西哥时要表现得像游客一样。他们还说，莫赖斯有时会通过向墨西哥移民官员付款来帮助他的客户。

The two people said Moraes transports the Brazilians north. They either jump the border with the help of paid Mexican coyotes, or they ask for asylum by using false papers and stories Moraes has prepared.

两人说，莫赖斯将巴西人运送到北方。他们要么在付费的墨西哥土狼的帮助下越过边境，要么使用莫拉斯准备的虚假文件和故事来寻求庇护。

People who can prove they face mistreatment at home because of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinions may meet the requirements for U.S. asylum. Those who enter the U.S. may remain for years in the states while their cases are processed because of the number of cases courts have.

能够证明他们在家中因种族、宗教、国籍、社会群体或政治观点而受到虐待的人可能符合美国庇护的要求。由于法院审理的案件数量众多，那些进入美国的人可能会在案件审理期间在各州逗留多年。

Moraes said those who claim he ran a smuggling operation were “induced” to do so by police or did not like him due to his success.

莫拉斯说，那些声称他从事走私活动的人是被警察“诱使”这样做的，或者由于他的成功而不喜欢他。

But he recognized he has gained from Brazil’s problems.

但他承认他从巴西的问题中获益。

He said, "The worse the government here gets, the better for me.”

他说：“这里的政府越差，对我越好。”