What is The Raise Act? Part 3

The Proposed RAISE Act

Part 3:  Elimination of the ‘Diversity Visa’ Program

On August 2, 2017, President Trump promoted a new Senate Bill drafted by Senators David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas known as the ‘RAISE’ Act.

‘RAISE’ is an acronym for “Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy” Act.

The stated purpose of the Bill is to improve the American economy by limiting the number of immigrants admitted into our country.

Background

As stated in the first Blog installment, we are using the proposed Bill is to ‘raise’ our awareness of the more fundamental underpinnings of America’s unique immigration system.  An analysis of this Bill gives us an opportunity to examine: ‘what would constitute a healthy immigration policy in the U.S.’?  thus, the purpose of this article is to explore what is needed in immigration policy to fit the unique history and present cultural pressures of American society today.

We do this by comparing the provisions of the Bill to the current existing law.

 

1. Elimination of the ‘Diversity Visa’ Program

This third installment of our discussion on the RAISE Act addresses the proposed elimination of a program that is commonly referred to as the ‘Green Card Lottery’.  Most people understand that we have a program that allows foreign nationals who do not otherwise have a way to come to the U.S. to live – an opportunity to seek a ‘green card’.  Applications to enter the lottery are filed around the world each year; 55,000 of those applications are randomly selected to permit the applicant to then formally apply for a ‘green card’.

It is important to recognize that the formal name of that program is actually the ‘Diversity Visa’ program because that explains its purpose.  Here’s why:

History

A very brief and simplified history lesson -  U.S. Immigration laws up until the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act operated on a system of quotas – allowing only a certain number of immigrants from each country to enter the United States.  This was preserved in the Act, but modified in subsequent amendments to open America’s borders to insure there was a variety of nations represented in the melting pot of America, (hence the ‘diversity’).

Keep in mind that in 1952, we were just a few years removed from the end of World War II, the creation of the United Nations, the Cold War was heating up and American Policy was to spread democratic ideals in the world while counterbalancing the influence of the Soviet Union in world events.  In what was then a mere quaint seed of globalization, our leaders recognized the importance of sharing ‘American Ideals’ with the rest of the world.   

From a legislative standpoint, our immigration policy was one tool used to accomplish this goal.  We developed an ‘exchange visitor’ visa (the J-1 visa – that still exists today), to bring persons to the U.S. to study and train here, learn about our system, and then return to their home countries to share these democratic influences.  The ‘Diversity’ visa was another product of this effort.  As Vice President Hubert Humphrey noted in deliberation of the 1952 bill, it was important for America to create alliances and take an influential role in countries around the globe.  The objective was to develop “the respect of people around the world”.

Hence, the Diversity Visa Program.

 

 How it Works

Avoiding a detailed explanation of the complex formulas used by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to calculate the breakdown of visas available each year, it basically works this way:

The Departments of State and Homeland Security review data for the preceding five (5) year period to determine how many persons from which countries received lawful permanent residency in the United States.  The number of immigrant visas permitting those persons to come to the U.S. are divided among ‘low admission regions’ and ‘high admission regions’.

Then 55,000 ‘diversity visas’ are made available each year to persons living in the ‘low admission regions’.

Persons from these ‘low admission regions’ may apply for one of the ‘diversity visas’ so long as the person can prove either – that she has a high-school diploma or equivalent, or has at least 2 years of work in an occupation that requires at least 2 years of training or experience.

A lottery is then held to select applications for further consideration.  If a person’s application is randomly chosen – (this avoids the history of ‘quotas’ from specific countries) – the person may then apply for a ‘green card’.  Just like anyone else applying for a ‘green card’ in one of the many other pathways to lawful permanent residency, the applicant must still prove that he or she qualifies for admission, (is ‘admissible’).  

As a consequence, anyone from anywhere in the world has a chance to fulfill his or her dream to come to the United States for a chance at a better life.  In return, the United States benefits from the traditional goal of sharing its values and ideals with persons from around the globe – not to mention the contributions that such motivated persons make to American culture, community and economy.

 

The RAISE Act

The RAISE Act proposes to eliminate this program entirely.

 

 

 

 

 

Next:  ‘Reducing the number of Refugees’