Federal Court allows Rubio to suspend Visa Lottery

Election Day is Tuesday. If you haven’t voted, be sure to make a plan to vote on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week to allow Secretary of State Marco Rubio to keep the registration portal for the 2027 visa lottery closed while the Trump Administration conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. Secretary Rubio suspended the program last year after a lottery winner was charged with the murder of an MIT professor.

After Secretary Rubio initially suspended the registration portal, a lower court ordered the administration to reopen it. The Ninth Circuit's ruling temporarily stays that lower court order.

The Diversity Visa Lottery awards 55,000 green cards annually, selecting winners through a random, computer-generated lottery system. Nationals from countries with low immigration rates to the United States over the previous five years are eligible to apply. The visa lottery admits immigrants who may have no familial or economic ties to the United States, and thus no pre-existing stake in our country.

Since its creation in 1990, the program has been determined to be a risk to national security and public safety, with past lottery winners involved in domestic terror attacks and other violent crimes. Fraud has also been rampant in the program. Secretary Rubio's suspension aims to ensure that the identity, eligibility, and background of all applicants can be rigorously verified prior to entry.

Learn more by reading our fact sheet on the visa lottery.

IAP submits comment to Census proposed rule

This week, the Immigration Accountability Project submitted a comment in support of the Trump Administration's proposed rule, “Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions." The proposed rule would require the Census Bureau to exclude illegal aliens and count only U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents in the decennial census. IAP supports the rule, but recommends that the decennial census only counts U.S. citizens for apportionment.

“The Immigration Accountability Project supports the proposed rule entitled “Decennial Census of the Population of Americans; Proposed Residence Criteria and Proposed Regulations for Demographic Questions.” ...

“The decennial census, whose primary statutory purpose is to apportion Representatives of the House among the states, should include only those with an inherent right to vote in the Federal district where they reside. That, of course, means United States citizens. While lawful permanent residents (LPRs) may remain in the United States indefinitely (assuming they abide by our laws), they have no more right to choose congressional representation than nonimmigrant visitors or illegal aliens.”

You can read more about the proposed rule on our Admin Accountability page and submit your own comment in support here. Time is of the essence, since the comment period ends November 2.

Rep. Rulli jumps 10 spots in Immigration Rankings

Rep. Michael Rulli (R-OH) climbed 10 spots in IAP Action's Congressional Immigration Rankings this week. He now ranks 42nd overall in the House.

Rep. Rulli's upward move follows his cosponsorship of two pieces of legislation supported by IAP Action and identified as key legislation:

• H.R. 2315: Fairness for High Skilled Americans Act that would eliminate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program; and
• H.R. 251: Legal Workforce Act that would require all employers to use E-Verify to check the work eligibility of its new hires.

Conversely, Reps. Becca Balint (D-VT) and Summer Lee (D-PA) dropped in this week's rankings by two spots and one spot, respectively, placing them at 397th and 399th overall.

• Rep. Balint cosponsored the Transforming Education for the Future Act, H.R. 10421 that would authorize taxpayer funding for community schools that can provide educational services to illegal aliens. The bill is opposed by IAP Action.
• Rep. Lee cosponsored the Fairness to Freedom Act, H.R. 3127 that would require taxpayers to pay for attorneys for illegal aliens. The bill is opposed by IAP Action.

You can view the full Congressional Immigration Rankings at IAPAction.com.

Immigration Articles

DHS: Trump Administration Suspends Birth Tourism Loophole Threatening National Security

“Protecting American soil means knowing who is coming into our country,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “Visa-free travel to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands opens the door to Chinese birth tourism and national security threats. Under President Trump’s leadership, we’re putting a stop to the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program and putting the American people first. American citizenship is not a travel perk.”

NBCDFW: Texas immigration crackdown operation resulted in over 4,000 arrests, DHS says

A 10-day statewide ICE crackdown dubbed "Lone Star Mission" resulted in 4,170 illegal alien arrests across Texas, as DHS pledged continued targeted enforcement operations.

DHS: Dozens of Illegal Aliens Arrested In Nationwide Voter Fraud Crackdown

ICE has arrested dozens of illegal aliens nationwide in an ongoing federal crackdown targeting unlawful voter registration and noncitizen voting in American elections.

Next Week

Next week is election week. Make sure you take the time to vote, and know that the next two years of immigration policy is on the line.