Saturday, 17 December , 2005, 23:12
Washington: The US House of Representatives has passed a Bill that seeks to do away with the 'diversity visa lottery' system by which some 50,000 persons used to get green cards and requires the Department of Immigration to complete background checks prior to issuing immigration benefits.
The Border Enforcement and Immigration Security Bill, passed on Friday with a comfortable vote of 239 to 182, came just a day after the approval of fencing of nearly 700 miles of the US-Mexico border.
The decision to do away with the visa lottery system that brings in 50,000 green cards every year based on diversity and not on employment or family was voted on comfortably, 273 to 148.
One of the arguments for getting rid of this visa lottery was that terrorists were using the scheme to enter the US.
However, a proposal to end birthright citizenship was not passed.
The small comfort for those who voted against all or specific provisions of this Bill was that it stood no chance in the Senate as the Upper House is unlikely to consider the House version as it is written.
