We are the world

Who says the U.S. is close-minded and xenophobic?

The Diversity Visa Program was created by the Immigration Act of 1990 and provides up to 55,000 immigrant visas each year to people from countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the United States. People from 179 countries are eligible to participate this year.

The program has enabled more than half a million immigrants -- mainly from Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia -- to gain permanent legal status in the United States.

But unlike most U.S. visa programs, the diversity program does not require applicants to have family members or employers in the United States to petition on their behalf.

In fact, we're so open-minded with this program that:

Nearly 10,000 people from countries designated as sponsors of terrorism have entered the United States under an immigration diversity program with relatively few restrictions, a report released on Friday said.

The report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the State Department's inspector general warned in 2003 that the Diversity Visa Program posed a significant risk to national security and recommended it be closed to people from countries on the U.S. list of state terrorism sponsors.

But four years later, the program remains open to people from those nations and little is known about what becomes of them once they enter the United States, the GAO said.

Of course, we needn't worry about such programs. Even if we eliminated them tomorrow, would-be sleeper cell agents and other miscreants only need to travel through Mexico to our porous southern border to gain entry. Who cares if they're "illegal" that way -- it's not like you need proof of legal status to, say, drive a car. Shoot, if you're "illegal," many of our communities will welcome you with open arms!

It still amazes me: we say we're fighting in Iraq so we "don't have to fight terrorists here," but we've done nothing to prevent "them" from entering our country. A government this irresponsible with border and access controls does not deserve respect, support, or legitimacy.