In the wake of Tuesday’s terror attack in New York City, U.S. Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) is touting the proposed RAISE Act that has garnered the support of President Donald Trump.
The plan, authored by Perdue and U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), would eliminate the diversity visa that granted entrance to Sayfullo Saipov, 29, who is suspected of killing killed eight people by plowing his rented truck into a bicycle path in Lower Manhattan.
“The Diversity Visa Lottery Program is a problem and is plagued by fraud,” Perdue said. “We have proposed eliminating this outdated program as part of the RAISE Act.
“While Senate Democrats originally created the diversity visa lottery in 1990, many have supported legislation that would have eliminated it in the years since. I hope we can include this area of common ground as we work to fix our broken immigration system and strengthen our national security.”
The Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act would eliminate the 50,000 visas arbitrarily allocated to this lottery.
President Trump, along with Perdue and Cotton, announced the plan back in early August.
Besides eliminating the visa lottery, Perdue and Cotton said the RAISE Act would:
- Replace the current permanent employment-visa system with a skills-based points system, akin to the systems used by Canada and Australia. The system would prioritize those immigrants who are best positioned to succeed in the United States and expand the economy. Applicants earn points based on education, English-language ability, high-paying job offers, age, record of extraordinary achievement, and entrepreneurial initiative.
- Retain immigration preferences for the spouses and minor children of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents while eliminating preferences for certain categories of extended and adult family members.
- Eliminate the diversity visa lottery.
- Limit refugees offered permanent residency to 50,000 per year, in line with a 13-year average.
