On Thursday, President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of the U.S. green card lottery, the program that had allowed the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings to enter the country.
The Suspension
President Trump suspended the diversity visa lottery program, a decision announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on X. Noem said she was acting on Trump’s direction to pause the program.
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she said of the suspect, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente.
The Suspect
Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, is suspected in the shootings at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, and in the killing of an MIT professor. He entered the United States in 2017 through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) and was granted a green card. U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Leah B. Foley confirmed that Neves Valente obtained legal permanent residence status in 2017. Neves Valente was found dead Thursday evening from a self‑inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
The Diversity Visa Program
The diversity visa program allocates up to 50,000 green cards each year by lottery to individuals from countries underrepresented in the United States, many of them from Africa. The program was created by Congress and is likely to face legal challenges following the suspension. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, and more than 131,000 were selected, including spouses of winners. Portuguese citizens won only 38 slots. Winners must undergo vetting and interviews at consulates before receiving a green card.
Political Context
Trump has long opposed the diversity visa lottery. Noem’s announcement is part of a pattern of using tragic events to advance immigration policy goals. After an Afghan man was identified as the gunman in a fatal attack on National Guard members in November, the administration imposed sweeping rules against immigration from Afghanistan and other countries. While pursuing mass deportation, Trump has sought to limit or eliminate avenues to legal immigration, even when they are enshrined in law or the Constitution. The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear his challenge to birthright citizenship.
Key Takeaways
- President Trump halted the diversity visa lottery after the Brown University shooter entered the U.S. via the program.
- The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, was granted a green card in 2017 and died by suicide in 2025.
- The program, which awards up to 50,000 green cards annually, faces potential legal challenges following the suspension.
The suspension marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, linking a tragic shooting to the administration’s longstanding opposition to the diversity visa lottery.
