Ecuadorian diplomat denied US visa

May 14 2010 by Liam Clifford

The Ecuadorian diplomat, Dora Aguirre Hidalgo, has spoken about her surprise at having her application for a US visa denied.

The well-respected member of the National Assembly in Ecuador is also a Nebraska University official and, ironically, was applying for the visa to allow her to attend an immigration conference in the US.

According to reports, Hidalgo has been told by US immigration officials that her name appeared on a list and that additional security checks would have to take place in order for her to attend the conference.

Lourdes Gouveia of the University of Nebraska, which is running the conference, was hoping Hidalgo could attend the event to speak about Ecuador’s and Spain’s efforts to address the causes of outmigration. Huge numbers of people from Central and South American countries move to the US each year, many of whom risk their lives as they do not have a US visa and have to sneak through the border.

The president of the University of Nebraska, J.B Milliken, added, “We cannot be globally engaged if people are going to be denied visas when they want to come to Nebraska.”