Politics

US Halts Diversity Visa Lottery Following University Shootings

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Dec 22, 2025

THE BARE STORY

The U.S. government has suspended the diversity visa lottery program, an action the Trump administration announced on Thursday. The move came after deadly shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

According to authorities, the suspect in the attacks was 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente. He is accused of killing two students at Brown University, murdering a professor at MIT, and injuring several others. Officials stated that Valente died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound following the attacks. The investigation is ongoing, with police reportedly searching for a motive.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program at President Donald Trump’s instruction. Authorities reported that Valente had obtained a green card through the diversity visa lottery in 2017. Secretary Noem stated that Valente "should never have been allowed in our country." According to court documents, Valente first entered the U.S. in 2000 on a student visa to attend Brown University.

The diversity visa program grants up to 50,000 green cards annually to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S. President Trump has previously called for an end to the program, arguing it represents a security risk. Secretary Noem noted that the president had sought to terminate the program following a 2017 truck attack in New York City, which was carried out by an individual who had also entered the country through the visa lottery.

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• The suspect was in the U.S. years before receiving a diversity visa. While the alleged shooter obtained a green card via the diversity lottery in 2017, the article notes his presence in the country began much earlier. According to court documents, he first entered the U.S. in 2000 on a student visa to attend Brown University. This indicates his initial entry and presence in the country for 17 years were not dependent on the diversity visa program.

• The program's purpose is to increase immigration diversity. The article describes the diversity visa program as a system designed to grant up to 50,000 green cards annually. Its specific goal is to admit individuals from countries that have historically low rates of immigration to the United States. This focus on demographic diversity is distinct from the security screening protocols that apply to visa applicants.

• A large-scale program is being halted based on the actions of specific individuals. The government's decision suspends an entire program that provides up to 50,000 green cards each year. The justification for this broad action is based on the alleged crimes of two individuals: the suspect in the recent university shootings and the perpetrator of a 2017 attack. The article also mentions that the motive for the current suspect's actions is still under investigation.

How it may affect me

As a U.S. reader:

• The suspension halts a legal immigration pathway that provides up to 50,000 green cards annually, altering a route for prospective immigrants to enter the country.

• This policy change represents a direct government action intended to address national security concerns that officials have linked to the diversity visa lottery program.

• Halting a program designed to increase immigration from certain countries may affect the demographic composition of new immigrants arriving in the United States.

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