The Diversity Visa Lottery, also known as (the Green Card Lottery) is an immigration program by which immigrants from nations with usually low rates of immigration to the United States are able to apply for a visa online. The platform, however, has been used by terrorists to penetrate America.
On October 31, 2017, Sayfullo Saipov used a rental pickup truck to deliberately mow down pedestrians. After killing eight and injuring 13, he left the truck and shouted, “Allahu Akbar.” Sayfullo is an Uzbekistan national and came to America in 2010. Later officials found a note about his allegiance to ISIS. This attack immediately received worldwide reaction from other lawmakers including the US. A bill proposed in August that would slash legal immigration levels in half over a decade also would eliminate the lottery program.
The bill went to the House and overwhelmingly passed, but halted in the Senate. Each year, the Diversity Visa Program accepts 50,000 randomly selected people — only from countries that don’t send many immigrants to the United States — to obtain permanent residency (commonly called a “green card”). It’s a way for individuals and families who otherwise wouldn’t have any way to legally immigrate to the United States to get a green card.
