United States President Donald Trump has announced a suspension of the green card lottery program, which allowed the suspect involved in the recent shootings at Brown University and MIT to enter the country.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared on the social platform X that, following Trump’s directive, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been instructed to halt the program. “This dangerous individual should never have been admitted to the United States,” she stated.
The suspect, 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, is linked to the shootings at Brown University that claimed the lives of two students and injured nine others, as well as the murder of an MIT professor. Authorities later confirmed that Valente died by suicide Thursday evening.
According to Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, Valente had obtained permanent resident status in 2017.
The diversity visa program, established by Congress, awards up to 50,000 green cards annually to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S., including many African nations. The recent suspension is expected to face legal challenges. Reports indicate that nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, with around 131,000 selected when including spouses of winners. Only 38 Portuguese citizens were chosen this year.
Winners of the lottery are required to apply for a green card, attend consular interviews, and undergo the same vetting process as other applicants.
Trump has consistently criticized the diversity visa program. Concerns over gun violence by foreign nationals in the U.S. have been rising, with recent incidents including an Afghan gunman targeting National Guard members in November, prompting stricter immigration rules from his administration.
What do you think this pause on the green card lottery could mean for Nigerians and other Africans hoping to migrate to the U.S.? Share your thoughts in the comments.
