Donald Trump has made over a dozen false claims about the diversity visa lottery system, and during his “speech” last week announcing a fake national emergency over his stupid border wall that American voters don’t want, he added another notch to his belt, claiming that the program is “a horror show” and falsely stating that “when countries put people into the lottery, they're not putting you in; they're putting some very bad people in the lottery.” Politifact:
Countries don't send immigrants to the U.S. lottery. The lottery is administered by the United States, not foreign governments. Applicants are randomly selected, but they must meet education and work requirements to be eligible. Those who make it to the visa application process are vetted with background checks and security screenings.
Around a year ago, Washington Post fact-checkers noted at least 16 inaccurate claims about the diversity visa, so he’s had plenty of time to inflate that number to something much bigger. A year later, he’s still complaining. Why is Trump so bent out of shape about this program? Because it’s been on his white supremacist immigration wish list: “Doing away with the diversity visa program means cutting a program that largely benefits African (40 percent) and Asian (16 percent) immigrants,” the UndocuBlack Network reports.
It is no secret that the Trump administration is on a robust mission to 1. strip immigrants of legal status and 2. ban all new immigrants—especially immigrants of color. Since 40% of immigrants accepted for the Diversity Visa Program are from Africa, this is a Black Issue. With an average of 20,000 new immigrants each year from the continent, this is the largest way for Black immigrants to legally migrate here. We must protect this program no matter what.
Trump lies about everything, and for reasons that would probably keep a pack of experts busy for years. But in this case it’s simple and clear-cut: This program ultimately benefits people of color, particularly black and Asian immigrants, and someone who’s bemoaned “shithole countries” and wondered aloud why we can’t let in more people from Norway just can’t let something like that stand.