Trump calls on Congress to end US visa lottery

US President Donald Trump has called on Congress to end the visa lottery programme, citing a Justice Department crackdown on a recipient who abused resident status to finance terrorist activities abroad. 

Time to end the visa lottery. Congress must secure the immigration system and protect Americans.” Trump said in a Twitter post on Friday.

Time to end the visa lottery. Congress must secure the immigration system and protect Americans. https://t.co/yukxm48x9X

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 8, 2018

Trump linked his message to a Justice Department press release regarding a complaint to revoke the resident status of a visa lottery program recipient who funded global terrorist activities.

The Justice Department’s complaint said a Sudanese national who gained lawful permanent resident status through the “diversity visa lottery program” ran a non-profit organisation, the Islamic American Relief Agency, and through it funneled money to known terrorist organisations in Iraq and elsewhere.

The report also said that former President Barack Obama’s immigration policy was more narrowly focused on arresting undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes.