Trump suspends green card lottery that allowed Brown University and MIT shooting suspect into the US

Trump suspends green card lottery program that let Brown University

US President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery program following the entry of the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings into the United States.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated on social platform X that, under Trump’s direction, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has been ordered to pause the program. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she said.

The diversity visa program, also known as the green card lottery, grants up to 50,000 green cards each year to applicants from countries underrepresented in the US, many from Africa. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, with over 131,000 selected, including spouses of winners. Portuguese citizens were allocated only 38 slots.

The suspected shooter, identified as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a Brown University student and Portuguese national from Miami, Florida, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Fox News.

The Green Card Lottery System, officially called the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) Program, is a U.S. government initiative that allows selected applicants to receive an immigrant visa and, eventually, a permanent resident card.

Established under the Immigration Act of 1990, the program seeks to diversify the U.S. immigrant population by selecting individuals from countries with low immigration rates over the past five years. Each year, up to 55,000 visas are made available, and there is no fee to apply.

Applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria, including country of birth and certain education or work experience requirements. Winners are chosen randomly, with results typically announced in May of the following year.

India is currently ineligible for the lottery due to high immigration numbers. However, individuals born in eligible countries may still apply, even if they hold Indian citizenship.