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In a swift policy response to a series of deadly shootings at prominent universities, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program on Thursday.
The decision comes in the wake of a violent spree allegedly carried out by Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national. Authorities say Neves Valente stormed a building at Brown University during final exams on December 13, opening fire and killing two students while wounding nine others.
Two days later, he was accused of fatally shooting a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Following a massive manhunt, police confirmed on Thursday evening that Neves Valente was found dead by suicide.
Secretary Noem utilized social media to confirm the suspect’s immigration status and announce the suspension of the “green card lottery.” She stated that Neves Valente “entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card.”
The Secretary framed the suspension as a direct order from the White House aimed at national security.
“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program,” Noem wrote. She added emphatically: “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.”
The Diversity Visa program, which has long been a target of the Trump administration’s immigration reforms, traditionally grants up to 55,000 permanent resident visas each year. According to the State Department, the program is designed for individuals “from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.”
To be eligible for the lottery, applicants are required to possess a high school education or two years of professional training, alongside undergoing a vetting process that includes a formal interview. However, this pause marks a significant disruption to a program that has served as a cornerstone of U.S. immigration policy for decades.
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