Visa issue keeps carnival workers from crossing border

But in Tlapacoyan, from which thousands of men and women leave annually to work for circuses and carnivals throughout the United States, the unfinished church and the American amusement industry have become inextricably linked.

For more than 30 years, the industry has recruited a growing portion of its workforce from Tlapacoyan, a city of 72,000. By 2007, almost a third of all carnival workers in the U.S. were Tlapacoyanos.

Every year H-2B workers poured millions of dollars in remittances into the local economy, funding houses, small businesses, and, thanks to Juarez’s fundraising effort, the first stage of the church’s construction. But in September, when the Congressional Hispanic Caucus blocked voting on legislation that would have allowed employers to rehire foreign workers, Tlapacoyan’s economy was paralyzed. The caucus is withholding its approval in an attempt to galvanize support for comprehensive immigration reform.”*

*From: www.chron.com
Traducido: usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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