After the New York terrorist attack that occurred November 1, 2017, President Donald Trump called into question the Diversity Visa Program. In New York City, eight people were killed and others were injured after a pick-up truck plowed through a crowd of people in lower Manhattan. The suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, was shot in the abdomen and arrested. It was later confirmed that Sayfullo Saipov received his visa through the Diversity Visa lottery.
What is the Diversity Visa Program? This program provides about 50,000 visas a year to immigrants from parts of the world with few immigrants in the U.S. It has been around for 20 years and its eligibility requirements vary from year to year. According to Business Insider, in 2014 the lottery selected most of its applicants from Nepal and Egypt with about 3,500 visas to applicants from those countries.
Due to the recent event in New York, the Diversity Lottery is now facing elimination which, according to CNN, has not been the first time for this program. RAISE, an act to reduce immigration to the U.S. starting this year, is said to eliminate the lottery. As of now, there is little support from the Republicans and Democrats in congress. As a bargain, the DREAM Act might be replacing the Diversity Visa Act if it is indeed eliminated.
Source: CNN, Washington Post, Business Insider
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