FORMATSBACK
THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
It would be wrong to end the Diversity Visa Program in the wake of the recent terror attack in New York, writes Machmud Makhmudov in the New York Times. The US has always been a country of immigrants, a beacon of freedom particularly for those fleeing oppression. Shutting the door on them is not the way forward. Already applicants go through a heavy screening process. The New York terrorist passed it, but he self-radicalized once in the US, which would have been hard to prevent anyway. Immigrants from this program come to work hard and contribute to society. We shouldn't deny people from certain nations access to the American Dream.
Keep on reading at the New York TimesThe Diversity Visa Program stems from a different era of US immigration and should be replaced by one that better suits American interests, infers David Frum of The Atlantic. It was created to give Irish immigrants an easier pathway into the country when other groups had been prioritized. Today, this is no longer a necessity. Like many other nations, the US should implement a merit-based system that allows it to chose who gets to enter, rather than the other way around. When the wrong kind of people come, the risk is that they follow the path of the the New York terrorist. The Diversity Visa Program and its lottery system are long overdue for replacement.
Keep on reading at the Atlantic