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  1. Well that is a story, not all of it though.

    “The diversity visa program has its roots in the Immigration Act of 1990, a bipartisan bill passed in late 1990 that sought to increase and restructure immigration into the U.S.
    Earlier that year, Schumer, then serving on the House immigration subcommittee, introduced the Employment-Related Immigration Act of 1990. Part of that bill called for a special category of visas to be offered annually to “diversity immigrants” from “low-admission regions.”
    Some of that bill was later folded into the Family Unity and Employment Opportunity Immigration Act of 1990. According to the bill summary, it “[p]rovides for preference allocation systems for admission of family-sponsored, employment-based, and diversity immigrants, respectively. Bases diversity immigration on identification of low-admission states and regions.”
    The bill — which had 32 co-sponsors, including Schumer and seven Republicans — passed the House 231-192 with a majority of Democrats voting for it, and a majority of Republicans against it.
    The Senate version of the bill, the Immigration Act of 1990, sponsored by Sen. Ted Kennedy, included similar provisions for “Diversity Immigrants.” Under the bill, diversity visa applicants were required to have a high school education or its equivalent or “two years of work experience in an occupation requiring at least two years of training or experience.” It passed the Senate overwhelmingly, 89-8. The bill received wide Republican support, including from Sen. Mitch McConnell, now the Senate majority leader. It was signed into law by Republican President George H.W. Bush.
    In remarks on the Immigration Act on Oct. 26, 1990, just prior to its passage, Schumer explained his support, and his role in helping to craft portions of the bill.
    “There are certain countries that have been left out,” Schumer said. “It’s wrong that countries like Ireland or Poland or Nigeria can’t get almost any immigrants into this country, simply because the people who came from those countries came a long time ago and aren’t brothers and sisters but are rather second and third cousins.”
    Schumer said he was “proud to help put together a major portion of the bill that is going to say to Irish, to Poles, to Nigerians, ‘You’re not going to be excluded anymore.’” “

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