The “Diversity Visa Program” is one of the thorns in the sides of America that President Donald Trump has been trying to end.
And now, more than ever, it may be proven to be an important topic. Just 7 years ago, NYC attack Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, from Uzbekistan, entered the United States on this same exact program.
This program is seemingly a lottery where it draws upon 50,000 randomly selected people to gain permanent status here in America. And this is done each and every year. Right now you might be saying 1 bad egg of the potentially hundreds of thousands of participants aren’t so bad but there’s always the “what if” — right?
In just August of this year, Trump officially backed what’s called The RISE ACT. According to the government website, “A SURGE IN UNSKILLED IMMIGRATION: For decades, low-skilled and unskilled immigration into the United States has surged, depressing wages and harming America’s most vulnerable citizens.”
“THE RAISE ACT PUTS AMERICAN WORKERS FIRST: President Donald J. Trump supports the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act to prioritize immigrants based on the skills they bring to our Nation while safeguarding the jobs of American workers.”
A PROMISE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: The RAISE Act follows through on President Trump’s promise to the reform our immigration system to put America first.
President Trump on July 26, 2017:
“As we speak, we are working with two wonderful Senators, Tom Cotton and David Perdue, to create a new immigration system for America. Instead of today’s low-skill system, just a terrible system where anybody comes in.”
President Trump on February 28, 2017:
“Protecting our workers also means reforming our system of legal immigration. The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers and puts great pressure on our taxpayers.”
“Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, we will have so many more benefits. It will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class.”
On October 8, President Trump sent a letter to “House and Senate leaders & Immigration Principles and Policies” in which he outlined his plans for immigration. In section 3, titled “Merit-Based Immigration System,” Trump wrote, “Eliminate the ‘Diversity Visa Lottery.’”