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Judi Lynn

(160,630 posts) Tue Jun 23, 2015, 04:29 PM Jun 2015

Hundreds of Mexican farm workers stranded at US border after massive computer glitch

Source: The Independent

Hundreds of Mexican farm workers stranded at US border after massive computer glitch
Payton Guion
New York
Tuesday 23 June 2015

A government computer glitch has stranded hundreds of Mexican farm workers at the US-Mexico border for two weeks, as officials are unable to issue work visas.

The glitch has prevented the workers from reaching the Washington state cherry farms that sponsored their visas, meaning cherry crops have been spoiling, Reuters reported. Many farms have reported losing their entire cherry crop.

A State Department database crashed on 9 June and since then US Customs and Border Protection has been able to process only about half of the requested work visas.

About 1,250 workers who had previously been granted the H-2A visas — issued for temporary farm employment — have been granted them again, but some 1,500 first-time applicants been stranded by the computer glitch.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hundreds-of-mexican-farm-workers-stranded-at-us-border-after-massive-computer-glitch-10340661.html

7 replies

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Highlight:

Hundreds of Mexican farm workers stranded at US border after massive computer glitch (Original Post) Judi Lynn Jun 2015 OP

What the hell? Raine1967 Jun 2015 #1

No, it's in-house Recursion Jun 2015 #4

They can't process 1500 forms? In Two weeks? Thor_MN Jun 2015 #2

It has to check each worker for a criminal record Recursion Jun 2015 #5

Hmmm, this could open a wedge issue for the GOP KelleyKramer Jun 2015 #3

The H-2 program is widely popular Recursion Jun 2015 #6

You are missing my point KelleyKramer Jun 2015 #7

Raine1967

(11,589 posts)

1. What the hell?

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 05:12 PM

Jun 2015

Who is in charge of that database? I am assuming (and would be glad to be corrected) that it's a government contractor.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

4. No, it's in-house

Reply to Raine1967 (Reply #1)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 11:54 PM

Jun 2015

It's not the part of the network I work on, but it's all internal.

Thor_MN

(11,843 posts)

2. They can't process 1500 forms? In Two weeks?

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 08:57 PM

Jun 2015

The program that I code for does numbers like that in less than an hour.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

5. It has to check each worker for a criminal record

Reply to Thor_MN (Reply #2)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 11:55 PM

Jun 2015

That's the part that is hard to do by hand, along with verifying the biometrics.

KelleyKramer

(8,983 posts)

3. Hmmm, this could open a wedge issue for the GOP

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 11:42 PM

Jun 2015

"Washington state cherry farms that sponsored their visas"

So farms can sponsor visas for Mexicans to come across the US border and work?

So they are coming and taking US jobs?!

Isn't that what most of the GOP presidential clown car has been bitching about??

Isnt that why they want to build a wall?

So I guess that Cruz, The Donald, Perry and the rest of the hair on fire nutjobs need to call for an end to these farm sponsored visas!!

Of course big agra has a long history of making huge profits on abusing immigrant workers, so the GOP nutbags will not be allowed to go against it.

Someone should call them on it, and make them take a stand for or against allowing these Mexicans in

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

6. The H-2 program is widely popular

Reply to KelleyKramer (Reply #3)

Tue Jun 23, 2015, 11:57 PM

Jun 2015

There aren't exactly mobs of US workers willing to go pick apples, and unlike H-1B's the pay is set by statute. (If they would just do that with H1-Bs most of the problems would disappear.)

KelleyKramer

(8,983 posts)

7. You are missing my point

Reply to Recursion (Reply #6)

Wed Jun 24, 2015, 12:25 AM

Jun 2015

Big agra makes a lot of money off these programs, so they will not permit their GOP paid hands to oppose it.

But the GOP base voters are against ANY Mexicans coming in, thats why The Donald panders to them yelling we need a wall

Ok, so ask Donald, or Cruz, or Perry ...

Are you, as a GOP presidential candidate, in favor or opposed to these visa programs?

None of them can answer that question

If they say 'yes' they piss off their money backers, if they say 'no' they really piss off their core supporters.

That's my point

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