President Trump — who along with some Republican lawmakers had previously called for ending the diversity visa lottery program — doubled down Wednesday, saying before a Cabinet meeting, “We need to get rid of the lottery program as soon as possible.”[Trump calls for an end to the diversity visa program]“We are fighting hard for Merit Based immigration, no more Democrat Lottery Systems,” the president tweeted. “The terrorist came into our country through what is called the ‘Diversity Visa Lottery Program,’ a Chuck Schumer beauty,” Trump tweeted. [Diversity Visa lottery was invented to help the Irish]Millions apply each year, and fewer than 1 percent are randomly selected to undergo background checks. A bill proposed in August that would slash legal immigration levels in half over a decade also would eliminate the lottery program. The fiscal 2019 visa lottery is currently taking applications, with a deadline of noon Eastern time Nov. 22.

Source: Washington Post November 01, 2017 16:54 UTC