Trump orders halt to green card to lottery after deadly US campus shootings
Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national, is believed to have carried out shootings at Brown University, which left two students dead and nine others injured, and also killed an MIT professor
PTC Web Desk: In the wake of the Brown University and MIT shootings, US President Donald Trump has ordered a suspension of the US Diversity Visa (DV) Lottery programme, which allows up to 50,000 green cards to be issued each year to applicants from countries with low US immigration rates.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on the social platform X that she has directed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pause the programme. She stated, “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” referring to the suspected gunman.
The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, is believed to have carried out the shootings at Brown University, which left two students dead and nine others injured, and also killed an MIT professor. Neves Valente was found dead later on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities noted that Neves Valente had obtained legal permanent residency in 2017. The Diversity Visa Lottery, established by Congress, allows individuals from underrepresented countries, including many in Africa, to apply for US green cards via a lottery system. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, with over 131,000 selected when including spouses. Portuguese applicants secured only 38 slots in the lottery.
Winners of the lottery must complete the standard vetting process, including interviews at US consulates, before receiving permanent residence.
Trump has consistently criticised the diversity visa programme, and officials note that the suspension comes shortly after the deadly shootings, similar to previous instances where tragic incidents were cited to introduce stricter immigration measures.