Catherwood LibraryILR School

As U.S. politicians debate over how many H-2B visas should be issued, thousands of seasonal carnival workers without visas have been stuck in Mexico. For these workers and their families, carnival work is often the only thing saving them from living day-to-day. Workers have emphasized that carnival work is not something most Americans are willing to do, because it is difficult and labor-intensive. In just one town, Tlapacoyan, as many as 2,000 have been left without jobs. They work for as much as $1 an hour as they await news of their visa status from their former American employers. Although Homeland Security authorized an increase of 15,000 visas last week, many businesses who rely on foreign workers have stated that the expansions have come too late, as they have already been forced to scale back.