(Washington, D.C.) U.S. Congressman Sam Graves introduced legislation on Wednesday that would call for a moratorium on non-resident immigration until the government ends a visa lottery program and can effectively screen new entries into the country.   

 

 “You cannot fix a leaky faucet while the water is running,” Graves said. “We must temporarily suspend non-resident immigration until we can make these common sense changes.”

 

The proposed legislation seeks to end the Diversity Immigration Visa Program. The program admits approximately 50,000 people annually from countries such as Iran, Syria, Sudan and Saudi Arabia. The program does not conduct a thorough background check; making it easier for terrorists to gain entry into the United States. 

 

“Our current immigration policy is sick and we need to fix it,” said Graves. “We gamble with our security every time a new number is drawn.”

 

The legislation seeks a moratorium on non-resident immigration until all dangerous immigration programs are ended. It also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to draw up a new immigration policy that effectively screens immigrants for potential ties to terrorism. Graves believes the solution requires more than just tinkering with the current system.

 

“We need a manageable common-sense immigration policy,” said Graves. “We need to know who is coming into this country, what they are doing here and how long they will be here. We simply have to do a better job of interviewing those seeking to come into this country.”

 

The bill will likely be referred to the Judiciary Committee.

 

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