President Trump ordered a pause to the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery after officials said the suspected shooter in the Brown and MIT attacks entered the U.S. and later obtained permanent residency through the program. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the halt on X, calling the suspect "heinous." The DV program issues up to 50,000 green cards annually; nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery and Portuguese citizens received 38 slots. The suspension is likely to face legal challenges and adds to ongoing national debates about immigration policy.
Trump Orders Pause On Diversity Visa Lottery After Suspect In Brown And MIT Shootings Entered U.S.
Law enforcement officers search the area for the Brown University shooting suspect, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Salem, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha)
President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered a pause to the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) lottery after authorities said the suspect in deadly shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology entered the United States and later obtained permanent residency through the program.
Official Announcement
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on the social platform X that, at the president's direction, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been instructed to halt the program.
"This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country," Noem said, referring to the suspect identified as Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente.
Officials said Neves Valente, 48, is suspected in the shootings at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, and in the killing of an MIT professor. Authorities reported he was found dead Thursday evening of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Suspect's Immigration History
An affidavit from a Providence police detective states Neves Valente studied at Brown on a student visa beginning in 2000, took a leave of absence in 2001, and was later issued a diversity immigrant visa in 2017; he obtained legal permanent resident status months after receiving the visa. Officials have not publicly accounted for his whereabouts between 2001 and 2017.
How The Diversity Visa Program Works
The Diversity Visa program, created by Congress, makes up to 50,000 green cards available each year by lottery to nationals of countries that are underrepresented among U.S. immigrants. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery; when spouses are included, more than 131,000 people were selected. Portuguese citizens accounted for 38 of the slots.
Lottery winners are invited to apply for permanent residency, undergo interviews at U.S. consulates, and are subject to the same background checks and vetting requirements as other green-card applicants.
Legal And Political Implications
The suspension is expected to invite legal challenges because the program is established by federal statute. President Trump has long opposed the diversity lottery; critics contend the move uses a tragedy to advance tougher immigration policies. The administration previously enacted broad restrictions on immigration from certain countries after attacks linked to foreign-born suspects, and other immigration issues — such as birthright citizenship — remain politically contested.
Officials have not specified how long the pause will last or how it will affect already selected applicants who are mid-process. Legal and administrative reviews are likely to follow.
