US Green Card Lottery Suspended After Brown University Shooting

President Donald Trump has suspended the U.S. Diversity Visa Lottery program following a deadly mass shooting at Brown University last week. The decision marks a renewed push by the administration to tighten immigration policy in response to domestic security concerns.

The suspension follows the identification of the shooting suspect, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, as a green card holder who entered the country through the diversity visa program in 2017. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the pause on Thursday, stating that Valente “should never have been allowed in our country.” She said the Department of Homeland Security, under Trump’s direction, would suspend further processing of diversity visa cases pending a full policy review.

“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program,” Noem said in a statement. She also reiterated that Trump had previously attempted to end the program during his presidency in 2017.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the green card lottery, provides up to 55,000 visas annually to individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the United States. Applicants are chosen by random selection, and successful individuals are granted lawful permanent residency. The State Department oversees the application and selection process, while the Department of Homeland Security handles final approvals and green card issuance.

It remains unclear how long the suspension will last or what legal mechanisms will be used to implement the halt. Earlier this week, President Trump also signed a proclamation expanding the list of countries facing full or partial travel restrictions to 39, up from 19.