Trump Pauses Green Card Lottery After Deadly Brown University, MIT Shootings

Notably, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who is suspected in the Brown University and MIT shootings, had come to the United States through the Green Card Lottery Program.

The Trump administration on Thursday paused the green card lottery program. In a post, the US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, “At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV-1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”

Notably, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who is suspected in the Brown University and MIT shootings, had come to the United States through this same lottery program. In the shootings, two students were killed and nine others were wounded at Brown University, while an MIT professor was also killed. Valente was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

"The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.  In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people," Noem said.

What Is The Green Card Lottery Program?

Launched in the 1990s, the Green Card Lottery, officially known as the Diversity Visa Program- offers up to 55,000 permanent resident visas each year through a random selection process. It is open to people from countries with low immigration rates to the United States, with many recipients coming from African nations. Winners, along with their spouses and minor children, can apply for green cards, which requires submitting Form DS-260, supporting documents, fees, a medical exam, and a consular interview with thorough background vetting. Eligibility also demands a high school education or equivalent work experience.

Around 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, and just over 131,000 applicants were selected, including spouses. Those chosen still have to pass security checks before entering the United States. Only 38 Portuguese citizens were among the selected winners.

President Trump has long opposed the diversity visa lottery, saying it may raise security concerns and does not focus enough on merit, unlike employment-based immigration programs.

During his first term, the Trump administration suspended the program in 2020 as part of wider limits on legal immigration, citing the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy was later reversed in 2021 by former President Joe Biden.