Lottery prize a green card, but foes see U.S. as loser

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ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Cybercafes in the war-torn Ivory Coast are abuzz with Africans hoping to become American residents through a U.S. visa lottery that has been criticized post-September 11 as a potential loophole for terrorists.

"I want to get out of here. If I get a green card, life will change ... I will work so hard," said Jean-Bruce, a political science student who paid $4 to use cafe computers to register for his third visa lottery in as many years. He declined to give his family name, fearing retaliation from local authorities.

A few weeks ago, the U.S. State Department opened its annual "Diversity Visa Lottery," -- a 15-year-old program designed to broaden the pool of new immigrants entering the United States.

Applicants must register electronically by Dec. 5, and manager Guillaume Diagba of the Cyberbusiness Cafe reminds his patrons of the fact with a large sign reading, "Become an American: Transform your dream into a reality."

Out of 6.3 million applicants worldwide last year, 374 Ivorians won the green-card lottery. Mr. Diagba boasts that one of the winners registered at his cafe.

Applicants in Abidjan, once hailed as a cosmopolitan model for West Africa, say they are fed up with a 3-year-old civil war that has divided the country, stalled a once-thriving economy and brought violent outbursts to their city streets.

France used to be the destination of choice for Ivorians looking to move abroad, but ties with Paris have soured in the past year because of friction with French and U.N. peacekeeping forces.

"We don't like the French very much these days, but we always love America," Jean-Bruce said.

The lottery, established by a 1990 act of Congress, makes 50,000 green cards available every year to persons from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

The winners are chosen by a computer-generated random lottery drawing but distributed among six geographic regions with preference given to the areas with the lowest annual immigration rates.