US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday the immediate suspension of the diversity visa (DV) or green card lottery programme, citing its use by the suspect in the recent Brown University shooting.
Read More: Brown University shooting suspect found dead, motive unclear
Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, who carried out the mass shooting in Providence, Rhode Island, entered the United States through the diversity lottery in 2017 and later obtained a green card.
Noem says Brown shooting suspect got U.S. visa through diversity lottery, announces pause to program https://t.co/f0JHzou9TT
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 19, 2025
“The Brown University shooter entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa programme (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card,” Noem wrote on social media. She added that, at the direction of President Donald Trump, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would pause the programme to “ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme.”
US President Donald Trump Suspends The Green Card Lottery Program After The Shootings At Brown University And MIT ; The Shooter Entered The US Via The Program. pic.twitter.com/AKeWkl3kT4
— KENYA GOSSIP CLUB (@kenyagossips) December 19, 2025
The diversity visa lottery provides up to 50,000 green cards annually to individuals from countries with low representation in the US, many of them in Africa. Established by Congress, the programme has long been a path for legal immigration for applicants from around the world. The suspension is expected to prompt legal challenges given its statutory basis.
Valente, a Portuguese national and former PhD physics student, had also killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days after the Brown University attack. Authorities confirmed that he took his own life and appeared to have acted alone. Police officials in Providence and Rhode Island emphasized that investigations were ongoing, but they believe Valente meticulously planned both attacks, taking advantage of his familiarity with the campus building.
Read More: Two dead, eight critical in shooting at US Ivy League School
The move by the Department of Homeland Security highlights renewed scrutiny over the diversity visa programme amid concerns over national security. It remains unclear how long the pause will last or what changes, if any, will be implemented before the lottery resumes. Meanwhile, authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shootings and the suspect’s path into the United States.