WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump suspended Green Card lottery program after revelations that suspect behind deadly shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) entered the country through this very program.
Secretary Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will halt lottery program immediately. Speaking about Portuguese national Claudio Nueces Valente, Noem said: “This dangerous person should never have been allowed into our country.”
The 48-year-old Valente is accused of shocking violence: the Brown University shooting left two students dead and nine others injured, and he is also charged with the murder of an MIT professor. Authorities revealed that Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot on Thursday evening.
According to an affidavit from a Providence Police investigator, Valente attended Brown University on a student visa in 2000. In 2017, he won a Diversity Immigrant Visa and obtained permanent residency a few months later. However, questions remain about his whereabouts between 2001 and 2017, raising serious concerns about oversight.
Diversity Visa program was designed to issue up to 50,000 Green Cards annually to nationals from underrepresented countries, mostly from Africa. The program, started by Congress, is now facing possible legal challenges after this controversial suspension.
For 2025 visa lottery, nearly 2 Crore applicants vied for a spot, with over 131,000 including spouses selected. Winners undergo strict background and security checks, and Portuguese nationals received only 38 slots this year. Interviews are conducted at US consulates, with applicants subjected to the same rigorous scrutiny as all other Green Card hopefuls.
Donald Trump remains long-time critic of Diversity Visa lottery, who now leveraged tragedy to push his hardline immigration agenda. After November attack on National Guard personnel by an Afghan national, the administration imposed stricter immigration rules for Afghanistan and other countries. Alongside broad deportation efforts, Trump has sought to restrict or end legal immigration pathways, and the Supreme Court has recently indicated readiness to hear his challenge against birthright citizenship.
Green Card holders have no indefinite right to stay, US VP stirs controversy
