Digital Page Seven
After the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (Uscis) released the updated list of countries eligible for temporary H-2A and H-2B work visas that does not include Bolivia, the Vice Chancellor Freddy Mamani asserted this Sunday that the country’s absence is not worrisome because it has not requested or is part of that initiative since 2001.
“We are not worried about this situation, but we want to clarify that this measure has been developed precisely in a neoliberal government, such as that of Hugo Banzer Suarez, in 2001, and since 2001 to date no request has been made nor has our country formed part ”, assured Mamani in an interview with the state channel BTV.
The H-2A and H-2B visa programs allow US employers to bring foreign nationals to the United States to fill positions in agricultural and non-agricultural jobs, respectively.
The vice chancellor indicated that in his opinion there is a malicious communication strategy to misinform the population when it is said in this context that the Government of Bolivia “is excluded.”
“Different human rights organizations, from civil society in the United States, criticize this H-1A and H-2B visa mechanism, because it is a modern form of slavery, which has been described (thus) by some specialized human rights organizations and They are against it, ”he said.
He also pointed out that some “academic and independent” studies linked these programs to “human trafficking and slavery.”
You can also read: The United States excludes Bolivia for work visas
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay are part of the list of countries eligible to receive H-2A and H-2B visas, and Paraguay is qualified for the H-2A visa program, but not for the H-2B.
For the international law analyst Andrés Guzmán, this program of temporary work visas in the United States is a job opportunity for people who do not necessarily have university studies and reduces opportunities for nations that do not participate.
“This creates job opportunities for people who do not have university studies, from various industries, not only in the agricultural area. Obviously there are many interested people and I say that there are many interested people, because all our neighbors have that, except Paraguay, which only has H-2A and not H-2B, everyone else has both. Bolivia is excluded and with that opportunities are reduced, “Guzmán told Digital Page Seven.
While the diplomat and analyst Álvaro del Pozo indicated that it is good to have spaces for citizens who wish to work abroad, when they do not find opportunities in the country’s market.
“The fact of not having requested this restricts the will or freedom of people to work in another country. I believe that it is always important to have these spaces for citizens who may wish to work in another labor market, understanding that the opportunities are not found in their own, it is clearly a detriment, “he said.
