Trump suspends US green card lottery

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the immediate suspension of the green card lottery program after authorities confirmed that the suspect in deadly shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had entered the country through the scheme.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the decision on social media, saying she had directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the diversity visa program at Trump’s instruction. She said the suspect should never have been allowed into the United States and described the program as a security risk.

The suspect was identified as Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national. Authorities said he opened fire inside a Brown University building on December 13, killing two students and injuring nine others who were sitting exams. He was also accused of killing an MIT professor two days later. Following a days-long manhunt, police said Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Court records show Neves Valente first entered the United States in 2000 on a student visa and enrolled at Brown University before taking a leave of absence in 2001. His activities between 2001 and 2017 remain unclear. According to a police affidavit, he later received a diversity immigrant visa in 2017 and obtained legal permanent resident status through the green card lottery.

The diversity visa program allocates up to 50,000 to 55,000 permanent resident visas annually to applicants from countries with historically low levels of immigration to the United States. To qualify, applicants must have at least a high school education or two years of work or training experience and must pass background checks and interviews similar to other green card applicants.

Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery cycle, with about 131,000 individuals selected, including family members. Portuguese citizens received just 38 slots. Many recipients of the program come from African nations.

Because the green card lottery was established by Congress, its suspension is expected to face legal challenges.

Trump has long opposed the program, arguing that it undermines merit-based immigration and poses security concerns. The move follows earlier efforts by his administration to restrict both legal and illegal immigration, including challenges to programs created by law. The U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear Trump’s challenge to birthright citizenship, signaling a continued push to reshape immigration policy through executive authority.