According to the latest State Department statistics since 2007, 28,783 individuals from terror-sponsoring countries (Iran, Sudan, and Syria) have received visas to enter the U.S. through the diversity visa lottery program. The visa lottery program has come under criticism after it was discovered that the New York City terror suspect entered the U.S. through the program.
The visa lottery program awards 50,000 visas every year through a random, computer-generated drawing from countries with low immigration rates to the U.S. The immigrants who are awarded the visas are granted legal permanent residence status and lifetime work permits.
Since the NYC terror attack Pres. Trump has asked Congress to end the visa lottery program and chain migration.
In 2004 the State Department’s deputy inspector general warned that the program contained “significant threats to national security as hostile intelligence officers, criminals, and terrorists attempt to use it” to enter the U.S.
Other Republicans including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said that they agree with Pres. Trump that the program should be eliminated and replaced with a merit based system that would benefit Americans.
Pres. Trump has endorsed Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.)’s RAISE Act that would end the visa lottery and chain migration.
The House Freedom Caucus has announced that they would support Rep. Bill Posey’s (R-Fla.) SAFE for American Act which would also end the visa program.
In a speech in New York City earlier this month Attorney General Sessions said, “A merit-based system, by definition, would be safer than a lottery or even extended family-based immigration…we don’t use random chance in college admissions and we don’t roll a die to hire people.”
Read more on this story at Fox News.
