Trump suspends Green Card lottery system after mass shooting at Brown University, MIT

Washington: United States President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery system (diversity immigrant visa lottery programme) after the system was linked to the US entry of the suspect in the mass shooting at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The move comes amid a broader tightening of legal immigration pathways following the attacks.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the decision on Thursday, saying the suspension was ordered at the President’s direction.

“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said in a post on the social media platform X, referring to Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been instructed to pause the programme with immediate effect, she added.

Suspect’s immigration history

Neves Valente, 48, is suspected of killing two students and wounding nine others during a shooting at Brown University, and of killing an MIT professor in a separate incident. Authorities said he was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to court documents cited by the Associated Press, Neves Valente first entered the United States in 2000 on a student visa to study physics at Brown University. He later withdrew from the programme in 2001 and took a leave of absence.

Investigators have said it remains unclear where he lived or worked between 2001 and 2017, when he obtained a diversity immigrant visa. He was granted lawful permanent resident status in the same year.

Law enforcement officials linked him to the killing of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro through surveillance footage and vehicle records.

What is the Diversity Visa Lottery?

The Diversity Visa Lottery, also known as the Green Card lottery, was created by the US Congress to promote immigration from countries that are underrepresented in the American immigrant population.

Each year, the programme makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available.

Applicants are selected through the lottery system and must then undergo interviews, background checks, and vetting at US consulates before being granted entry.

For the 2025 lottery, nearly 20 million people applied worldwide. Just over 131,000 individuals were selected, including spouses and dependents, according to AP data. Portuguese citizens received only 38 slots.

Lottery winners are required to meet the same eligibility standards as other green card applicants, including criminal and security screenings.

Why was there opposition to the lottery system?

President Trump has long opposed the diversity visa lottery, arguing that it does not adequately protect national security. The suspension marks the latest instance of the administration using a violent incident to advance immigration policy changes.

The Guardian reported that similar steps were taken earlier in Trump’s presidency. After an Afghan national was identified as the gunman in a fatal attack on National Guard members in November, the administration imposed sweeping restrictions on immigration from Afghanistan and several other countries.

Legal challenges expected

The diversity visa lottery was established by Congress, and legal experts say the suspension is likely to face court challenges. Any permanent termination of the programme would require legislative approval.

For now, the Department of Homeland Security has not indicated how long the pause will remain in effect or how it will impact applicants already selected under the current lottery cycle.