Salvadorans hoping for US visas leave disappointed
Posted July 29, 2019 12:43 pm.
MEXICO CITY — Hundreds of Salvadorans who had waited in line for U.S. work visas have started heading back to their hometowns after learning the program wasn’t ready yet.
The lines started forming in front of the Labor Ministry last week after the government announced it was negotiating a temporary farm work visa program with the United States.
Other countries like Mexico have long had access to such H-2A visas.
But by Monday, officials at El Salvador’s Labor Ministry acknowledged they could only take people’s names for a later date when the program is finally implemented.
Luis Antonio Rivera is among hundreds who had pinned their hopes on the visas. The 43-year-old farmer said, “We are almost dying of hunger because we don’t make enough to support our families.”
The Associated Press
