Trump’s recent announcement that he plans to terminate the Diversity Visa Program is welcome, though it is too late. Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, the jihadist who killed at least eight people in last week’s attacks in New York, entered the US as part of the program. Once again, it seems that we need a tragedy to happen in order to take sensible measures to limit jihadi terrorism.
I admit that I have not always felt this way. The “green card lottery,” as it is commonly known, has in the past seemed to me to represent the best of America. Granting a fresh start to those who may suffer under political or economic oppression, and doing this without judgement as to their creed or nationality, has done much for our nation.
However, the recent attack has made it clear that the system, despite its good intentions, is simply dangerous. Now, with the US facing an unprecedented threat from jihadists, it represents nothing more than a gaping hole in our immigration system.
The Diversity Visa Program
The current form of the Diversity Visa Program dates back to 1990, when current Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer introduced a House Bill that led to the creation of the program. In recent days, Trump and other prominent right-wing commentators have directly linked the program to the New York attacks.
It’s not hard to see why. At present, the program allows 50,000 people a year to enter the US. They apply online, and are accepted totally at random. There are no checks as to their political or criminal background, and they need not even have a high-school education.
And though 50,000 people a year might not sound like that many for a country the size of the US, in reality the number is much higher. The visa issued to winners of the lottery allows their family to also come to the US. Family visas are issued to family members no matter their country of origin, and this introduces a further security flaw into the system.
Not that it is very secure in the first place. Among the most likely to apply to the program are citizens from countries well known to harbor jihadists – specifically Middle Eastern, North African and Central Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, and Uzbekistan.
This should not be surprising. Failed states are more likely to see spiking levels of jihadism, and citizens of them are also more likely to want to leave. Though in many cases this correlation is no more than that, recently there have been worrying reports of the Diversity Program being used to directly further the jihadist cause.
A Corrupt System
The problem is that not only is the Diversity Program flawed in itself, it is also very open to manipulation. There have been reports, for instance, that in Bangladesh “enterprising businessmen” have entered thousands of people into the program, so that they can later extort money from whoever wins.
The program also represents a direct security breach, in that it can be exploited in order to attack the US. Radical Islamists can enter many of their adherents into the program, and if enough names are enrolled, it is almost a certainty that one or two people will gain legal access to the US.
As we saw in the recent attack, just one jihadist, operating alone, can cause much destruction and death.
Indeed, it is hard not to see the program, as it operates today, as anything more than offering a tool for jihadists to legally enter the country. In the same way that ISIS has encouraged its members to take advantage of generous US gun laws to legally obtain weapons like the now-infamous AR-15, it seems that jihadists are able to use our own ideals and values against us.
The Case For Reform
As I’ve said, in principle I think there is a place for programs that are superficially similar to the diversity program. The problem, at the moment, is the clear security breech opened up by making such programs available to everyone, including citizens of states where jihadists operate.
The situation is made even more absurd by the fact that citizens of many of the oldest allies of the US – the UK and Canada among them – are barred from entering the lottery. This means that the supposedly “democratic” nature of the program is directly undermined – why accept applicants from Libya, but not the UK?
In short, it is clear that something needs to be done in order to eliminate the weaknesses it introduces into our immigration system.
Reforming the system need not be difficult. Implementing Trump’s proposed ban on immigration from Muslim majority countries would be one way forward, but this is problematic for a number of reasons. As Andrew McCarthy has argued, that ban provides no additional security. In addition, it would undermine the sole benefit of the Diversity Program – allowing people from poor countries a genuine chance to make a new life.
Another, much better, approach, would be to take the logical step of vetting winners for adherence to extremist belief systems, as the National Review has recently argued for. Trump’s “extreme vetting” procedures remain inadequately defined, but some form of extra security is clearly needed.
Given the difficulties of implementing such a system, however, the rational course at the moment would be to shut down the Diversity Visa Program immediately. Let’s, at least, close this security hole until we are able to better track who is entering the country.
Sam Bocetta is a defense contractor for the U.S. Navy, a defense analyst, currently working as part-time cybersecurity coordinator at AssignYourWriter. He specializes in finding radical — and often heretical — solutions to “impossible” ballistics problems. He is an independent correspondent for Gun News Daily, writing about naval engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, marine ops, program management, defense contracting, export control, international commerce, patents, InfoSec, cryptography, cyberwarfare, and cyberdefense.
Hari Singh says
Initially the Diversity Visa Program was designed to allow the Irish and other Western Europeans who were virtually not included in immigration after the Ted Kennedy 1965 immigration bill, that changed the face of America.
America is a choice immigration destination and immigrants should have high standards of education and ability to speak English. We should revamp the whole immigration system, and allow only people who can assimilate into the USA. Requiring a high school diploma would go far. Did America need another truck driver when so many US citizens are out of work?
The immigration system should not be a lottery, it should be designed to help America.
It must be kept in mind that if the USA only lets in people we need such as university graduates, medical professions, engineers the third world countries will accuse us of bleeding their much needed talent.So since immigration is a no win situation, we should get what is best for us.
gravenimage says
There have been a lot of immigrants to the US who were unable to get even a high school diploma in their countries of origin who would go on to contribute a great deal to American society.
This does *not* include ravening Mohammedans, though.
Lu says
I tend to agree. What matters is INTEGRATION into our society – in terms of having work, sharing common principles and way of life and – more importantly – respecting our Constitution as the framework of our freedoms and liberties.
And yes – jihadis and their (silent or vocal) sympathizers definitely should not qualify to immigrate into the Land of the Free. Extreme vetting is perhaps the key word here.
gravenimage says
True, Lu.
John Forbes says
AGAIN & AGAIN THE LEFT & THE GOVERNMENTS SIMPLY WILL NOT LISTEN ! WHEN MANY MORE THOUSANDS ARE RAPED , BEATEN & KILLED MAYBE SOMEONE WILL ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION ???
NOT IT SEEMS ABOUT TO HAPPEN ANY TIME SOON IN THE WEST THOUGH !!!
UNDERTAKER MAY BE A LUCRATIVE PROFESSION FOR NOW !
Shane says
No Western country should be taking in immigrants or refugees from Muslim majority countries where belief in holy war, Jihad, and Sharia law is widespread. These people do not belong in the West. This is common sense, but common sense seems to be lacking in leftist political parties, the liberal MSM, the entertainment media, liberal arts college professors, and dimwitted Americans who do not understand this issue. Time to throw out all pols who favor mass Muslim immigration into the West by whatever means are necessary.
abad says
What exactly is the present population of the United States of America?
Around 326 million?
Can you honestly ask yourself if we really need more immigrants coming into our borders?
We do not need immigrants from anywhere, we need to start taking care of our own.
Savvy Kafir says
Agreed. If they have an advanced degree in a scientific field (and they’re not Muslim), we should welcome them. But taking in the entire third world is a recipe for disaster.
mortimer says
JIHADI ROULETTE! Can you spot the one, two, three jihadists among 10,000 Muslims? No? Neither can other Muslims. The jihadists hide among the 15% of Muslims (1500 supporters of jihad among 10,000 Muslims). In a cohort of 1 million Muslims, about 1,000 to 3,000 will be ready-to-go jihadists and 150,000 Muslims will feed, clothe and hide the jihadis from the authorities.
It is MUSLIM ROULETTE. 150,000 Muslims out of every million Muslims are FIFTH COLUMNISTS.
Custos Custodum says
No, most jihadis will hide among the OTHER 85% of more-or-less secular Muslims. Jihadis were expressly instructed to affect secular customs, e.g. wearing tight-fitting jeans, NOT attending mosques, etc.
Both groups understand Islam as a license to rape, murder and rob “infidels.” As others have observed, there are moderate Muslims, but there is no moderate Islam. A moderate Muslim is a bad Muslim in HIS OWN EYES and those of other Muslims.
Walter Sieruk says
First , it’s very obvious that this “jihadi Lottery” system is a system of madness and evil . In that the murderous fruits of this DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM may clearly in that October 31 murderous Muslim terrorist attack..
Second,that murderous Muslim terrorist is a name whose first name means “The sword of Allah, this vicious jihadist who murdered rand maimed all those people in New York City is a man who is a foreigner and entered the USA by a “Diversity Visa” This exposes the dangers, folly and foolishness of such PC Diversity programs.
The need for a national travel ban concerning all those unvetted Muslim migrants who desire to enter the United States of America is very important. This may be yet better explained by one of the fables of Aesop which is entitled THE FARMER AND THE VIPER. So here it is “Once in ancient Greece there was a farmer outside on a very cold winter day walking in if field to make sure that everything is in order and as it should be. The farmer came upon a half-froze viper about to die from the bitter cold. The kind yet foolish farmer took pity on the viper and in an action of kindness put it his is vest jacket to warms and up and thus save its life. The viper warned up revived and then bit farmer through the vest jacket. So the kind but foolish farmer died a slow painful death in awful agony because he felt sorry of the viper and saved it life.” The point to this fable is the no amount of kindness will chance an evil and dangerous nature.
So it may be with those many Muslim immigrants who want to enter the USA. It only takes of few jihadist/vipers inflect jihad terrorism of awful murderous disaster on different cities of this nation.
gravenimage says
The Jihadi Lottery: Time to Close the Open Door
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Good article, and the first contribution that I have seen at Jihad Watch from Sam Bocetta. Welcome!
anotherJWReader says
Biased and manipulative piece. The guy was redicalized after coming to the US. This fact is missing from the piece. Something is wrong with the US and not the green card lottery. Instead of closing the lotter some countries can be excluded. This is done now for China, India and Poland. Why do I have the feeling that the author is evil and so are the first commenters. I know people that got lottery green cards. They are way batter educated than the avaraged American, with degrees in STEM. And foreighn university are only comparable to Ivy league in the US. The US math education is very poor and they study the high school stuff in colledge. On top of it there is too much leftie propaganda in US universities and STEM education suffers. Plus unequal access to education for all people. White normal people have to pay a fotune to study STEM.
Lu says
… whereas your piece is extremely well formulated and its form and content patently indicate certain higher learning of yours …
anotherJWReader says
I am sorry. I am a foreighn STEM graduate with an assistant professor experience in an Ivy league University. STEM in the US is weak and politics is too much. One doesn’t need to know math to be a good programmer though. That is an exception. Every STEM can program. I was surprised to find out about the high education of lottery winners. And the authours peace is highly biased andpersuing agenda. Not looking at facts. Not different from a lefty mind set.
Westdivide says
Now we see a lot of the problem with our universities, Ivy League or not……
-West out
abad says
That is because college students are too busy protesting President Donald Trump.
Public higher education in the United States of America is a joke, kids go to college to party, not to learn any skills and make any decent contributions to society.
And people wonder why college is so expensive in the USA.
I believe it’s called, collateral
Custos Custodum says
I take it “batter” education involves making pancakes? If so, I am in favor.
Not sure how Americans ended up being “avaraged.” It sounds rather gruesome.
anotherJWReader says
Whatever. You know what I mean. At least I am trying to speak English unlike some immigrants that refuse to do so.
gravenimage says
Why would we care that this semi-literate invader is “trying to speak English”, when he is just using it to blame America for Muslims waging violent Jihad?
gravenimage says
What have I said here that is not literate? Or is this just projection? If–as is implied–an American university is allowing someone with such a poor grasp of English to teach, it is very disturbing.
It is true that I did not know that “anotherJWreader” was female–but really, that changes nothing.
And “anotherJWreader” is “Californian” in the same way that Jihadists from Dar-al-Islam are characterized as “Australian” or “British” or “Swedish”–not in any substantive way.
I am disturbed, in fact, to find that she is using my home state as a base of operations. *Ugh*.
Infidel says
Typical Leftist venom and garbage or an Islamist in disguise and castigating all those U oppose U as EVIL.. Shame on U..
gravenimage says
“anotherJWReader” wrote:
Biased and manipulative piece. The guy was redicalized (sic) after coming to the US. This fact is missing from the piece.
…………………………….
He was named “Sword of Allah” by his parents. The idea that he learned Islam from the “filthy Infidels” in America is absurd.
Why is “anotherJWReader” swallowing the claim that Sayfullo Saipov was “radicalized” here in the US–and why does he demand that *we* swallow it?
In fact, Uzbek authorities confirm that his parents “preached traditional Islam”
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/02/us/sayfullo-saipov-path-terror-suspect/index.html
More:
Something is wrong with the US and not the green card lottery.
…………………………….
What does this mean? That the US is to blame for not having censored all access to information about Islam? If he had not already been steeped in Islam it is unlikely that Jihad would appeal to him.
After all, it is not Infidels who wage violent Islam–just Muslims.
More:
Instead of closing the lotter (sic) some countries can be excluded. This is done now for China, India and Poland. Why do I have the feeling that the author is evil and so are the first commenters.
…………………………….
I don’t know–perhaps because “anotherJWReader” an apologist for Jihadists?
More:
I know people that got lottery green cards. They are way batter (sic) educated than the avaraged (sic) American, with degrees in STEM. And foreighn (sic) university (sic) are only comparable to Ivy league in the US. The US math education is very poor and they study the high school stuff in colledge (sic).
…………………………….
Doesn’t “anotherJWReader” rather undercut his claims for how much “batter” immigrants are educated than are Americans with his atrociously poor grasp of the English language?
More:
On top of it there is too much leftie propaganda in US universities and STEM education suffers. Plus unequal access to education for all people. White normal people have to pay a fotune (sic) to study STEM.
…………………………….
Yes, there is a lot of Leftist propaganda in American universities–but, clearly, they haven’t got a corner on that, given “anotherJWReader’s” sickening apologia for Jihad.
And his slamming American education is bizarre–America has more opportunity for people here than in many parts of the world–certainly *far* more than in places like Uzbekistan.
Yet he pretends that this Muslim immigrant had no choice to slaughter innocent people, having been “redicalized” here in America. *Ugh*.
Lu says
You said it loud and clear, graven – nothing to add. Actually yes – amen :-).
gravenimage says
Thank you, Lu.
Savvy Kafir says
It’s time to end ALL Muslim immigration to the U.S. (and to Europe, Canada & Australia) — and to begin the deportations.
The West cannot survive the Demographic Jihad, unless the trend is reversed, with the clear goal of eliminating Islam in the civilized world.
But that won’t happen any time soon — and therefore many innocent people will be murdered by jihadis, because we waited too long to act. And free speech, and other human rights, will be sacrificed to placate sensitive, “moderate” Muslims & their PC allies.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
we expect mad devil Trump to deport American christians because one of them killed hundreds whom you call simply a gunman not terrorist. idiots!!
Wellington says
Only Muslims, idiot, kill in the name of their religion. 32,000 documented Islamic terrorist attacks worldwide just since 9/11 testifies to this OVERWHELMINGLY. How many Buddhist, Jewish, Christian, Sikh, Hindu, and for that matter, agnostic and atheist terrorist attacks since then? Yes, there are lone killers not killing in the name of a world-wide faith but only Islam produces killers across the earth murdering in the name of the worst religion of all time, a religion which was founded by someone who was a psychopath, narcissist and pedophile.
Wise up, idiot.
Ibrahim itace muhammed says
big headed kafir Wellington, you lied. what about 20 million Muslims killed by mithraist Christians during crusade wars in the name of mithraist Jesus Christ? Not too long ago your evil United States killed more than 3 million Iraqi Muslims where unexploded cluster bombs found bearing evil biblical verses. you at this forum endorsed genocide being committed by Bhudists on Muslims in Myanmar and atrocities committed by evil state of Israhell on Palestinians and Hindu barbarians on Muslims in India. your filthy Christianity is being inspired by the Satan and that is why Christians are wicked armed robbers.
Renee says
You are very angry. Of course the lives of all humans on earth are precious in Gods sight. So is yours. But God does not want us to hate each other and kill each other. Why does the Koran (Mohammed) teach that it is OK to kill Jews and Christians? The bible does not teach that at all. If people use the bible that way, they are not Christians, then they are not sisters or brothers of mine.
LeftisruiningCanada says
Typical Islamic confusion of Church and State.
When muslims see western nations act militarily, they think of Christianity first and politics second as the motivation.
This is due to the utter lack of distinction between the two in islamic thought.
However, they are of course wrong – there is practically no Christian influence over the political system, as hardly any of the people involved are Christians, and, even if they were, they are able to make the aforementioned distinction.
We we see islamic nations or muslim individuals act militarily, it is precisely because of their religion that they do so, since islam is always attempting to subdue unbelieving lands, and, because there is no division between religion and politics in islam.
gravenimage says
I see now that Ibrahim itace muhammed is ranting about the Crusades–a series of defensive wars fought centuries ago.
And now he is tripling the hysterical claims of other Muslims about Iraq–as well as coming up with rot about Bible verses in bombs. Citations, please.
And he does not believe that Burmese Infidels have any right to defend against Jihad from invading Muslims–but then, why would he? He does not believe that Indians or Israelis have the right to do so, either.
He thinks that everyone should roll over and be slaughtered by Muslims.
gravenimage says
I see the appalling apologist for Jihad Ibrahim itace muhammed is back. He wrote:
we (sic) expect mad devil Trump to deport American christians (sic) because one of them killed hundreds whom you call simply a gunman not terrorist. idiots!!
……………………..
One presumes that ibrahim itace muhammed is referring to Stephen Paddock, and the hideous mass shooting in Las Vega. Of course, he hopes we haven’t noticed that his own ISIS took credit for that atrocity.
Infidel says
DIVERSITY VISA PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST OXYMORON FOR THE USA..
Renee says
I am very thankful for my greencard via the lottery and I love the USA. I am forever grateful.
gravenimage says
Thank you, Renee. Glad to have you here!
John Forbes says
I BELIEVE THAT ALL WESTERN NATIONS WILL HAVE MANY MANY MORE MAIMED & DEAD BEFORE THE LEFTISTS ARE DEFEATED & WE ARE ALLOWED TO CONFRONT THE FOLLOWERS OF ISLAM – THE FIFTH COLUMN – IN OUR MIDST.
IN CANADA MUSLIM TRUDEAU IS MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO ANYTHING AT ALL !
HE AFTER ALL SEEMS TO HAVE CONVERTED ALREADY & TOGETHER WITH HIS MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LIBERALS IS SHAPING & SOFTENING & LYING TO GET SHARIA COMPLIANCE IN !
THIS WILL HERALD AN END TO FREE SPEECH & EVENTUALLY CANADIAN DEMOCRACY AS HE FLOODS CANADA WITH LOYAL MUSLIM VOTERS !!
Richard Paulsen says
Not just murderous jihad attacks on innocent civilians. Imagine islam leading the Military forces in U.S.A. or in Europe.
More possible they will in Europe before in U.S.A. so far. That means a very difficult situation for U.S.A. Security. For Russia as well and of course for all of Europe, Israel and all of the free world.
LeftisruiningCanada says
The Green Card Lottery system seems alright in principle. I mean to say, the USA is about the best place in the world to aim for, and this gives some people a hope of being able to get there.
But perhaps the applicants should be checked over better, and maybe, its just an idea, don’t have it open to the whole world. You know, to places where a certain very peaceful, gentle and tolerant religiopolitical system holds sway. Maybe start by excluding places that have the color green and a crescent moon on the flag……
LeftisruiningCanada says
Or be extra diligent in getting to know people from those places if accepeted – i don’t deny that winning a green card in the lottery could be a wonderful way for a good, actually peaceful person to escape from an islamic theocracy.