The Diversity Visa Surprise in the Proposed U.S. Citizenship Act

Yesterday, Senator Menendez released a copy of the Democrats’ proposed immigration bill: The U.S. Citizenship Act. It’s 353 pages long, so we’ll be wading through it all for some time.

This morning, I noticed a very small provision in the bill under Subtitle C, Section 3301 (page 217). It looks to increase the diversity visa allotment from 55,000 to 80,000.

This provision jumps out to me because of the Republican-backed RAISE Act of 2017, which would have, among other things, eliminated the diversity program altogether.

I wonder if the move to increase the allotment is a genuine investment in the diversity visa program or low-hanging fruit for negotiating with Republicans.

-KitJ