NOTE: This case was most recently titled “Gomez v. Biden” and prior to that, “Gomez v. Trump,” when it was first filed in 2020. In 2025, It has been changed once again to “Gomez v. Trump” reflect the current administration.
DV2020 Lottery Winners:
We greatly regret that there is no legal remedy available for DV2020 lottery winners who did not receive their diversity visa before September 30, 2020.
We appreciate that a court recently ruled in favor of DV2026 lottery winners in Medani v. Trump, No. 26-cv-06332, and ruled that the State Department must continue to process and adjudicate DV2026 diversity visas even after September 30, 2026 (the last day of Fiscal Year 2026). While we celebrate this positive result for DV2026 lottery winners, unfortunately, the court’s reasoning does not apply to the litigation surrounding DV2020 lottery winners (including Gomez v. Trump and the related Goodluck, Goh, and Rai cases).
A new lawsuit concerning the DV2020 lottery is not possible: courts have consistently held that diversity visa claims must be brought, and relief obtained, within the fiscal year at issue. As a result, we do not believe that a court would consider a lawsuit about the DV2020 lottery unless it had been filed during Fiscal Year 2020. While Gomez and the related Goodluck, Goh, and Rai cases were filed during Fiscal Year 2020, those cases have concluded, and the time for further appeal has expired.
We are truly sorry to convey this bad news.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Justice Action Center (JAC), and Innovation Law Lab, with pro bono support from Mayer Brown LLP, filed this lawsuit in the summer of 2020 on behalf of family-based immigrant visa petitioners, diversity visa 2020 lottery winners, and non-immigrant employment-based visa sponsors, challenging President Trump’s April and June 2020 proclamations, which effectively stopped almost all immigration to the United States. On February 24, 2021, President Biden rescinded the ban on immigrant visas. On April 1, 2021, President Biden allowed the nonimmigrant visa ban to expire. Nevertheless, the proclamations continue to harm a class of 2020 diversity visa lottery winners, who were unable to receive visas in 2020 due to the proclamations’ ban on virtually all visa processing and issuance.
On October 13, 2021, Judge Mehta ordered the State Department to process 9,095 DV-2020 visas for members of the Gomez class by September 30, 2022. The judge ordered visa processing to commence “as soon as is feasible,” and directed that reserved visas must be “issued to eligible qualified immigrants strictly in a random order,” consistent with the immigration statute.
The government appealed Judge Mehta’s decision to the D.C. Circuit, staying Judge Mehta’s order.
On June 25, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the federal government’s appeal, reversing the lower court’s decision ordering the State Department to process 9,095 diversity visas.
News Coverage:
- 5/28/20 | NBC News | Lawsuit says Trump admin’s COVID-19 immigration order separates families with older kids
- 02/17/21 | The Washington Post | Biden is still blocking people like me, with visas, from entering the U.S.
Advocacy Tools:
- Frequently Asked Questions About Gomez v. Biden
- DV-2020 Winners: Sign Up for Class Member Information
Press Releases:
- 8/18/21 | Court Orders Government To Issue 9,095 Reserved 2020 Diversity Visas
- 2/22/21 | Court Preserves Validity of 2020 Diversity Visas
- 9/4/20 | Court Orders Trump Administration to Allow Diversity Visa Lottery Winners In – Justice Action Center
- 8/3/20 | Civil Rights Coalition Files Motion For Preliminary Injunction to Halt Immigration Ban Release
- 7/17/20 | Individuals, Employers and Organizations Join to File First Lawsuit Challenging Entirety Of Trump’s Immigration Ban