Accused New York City bomber Akayed Ullah, originally from Bangladesh, benefitted from the U.S. Visa Lottery program, which randomly grants visas to foreigners and their families, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. law enforcement officials confirmed late Monday that Ullah, who attempted to detonate a suicide bomb in downtown New York City, obtained a green card under a family-based preference system after one of his family members was awarded a visa through the lottery.
Winners of the Visa Lottery program can go on to sponsor family members to come to the United States, resulting in chain migration, which could lead to large numbers of the winners' foreign relatives resettling in the United States.
DHS confirmed that Ullah entered the United States in 2011.
Sayfullo Habibullaevic Saipov, an Uzbek national who committed a terror act in New York City last month, was also awarded a visa through the lottery.
President Trump called for the elimination of the Visa Lottery program and an end to chain migration.