Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem late Thursday night announced an immediate pause of the Diversity Visa Program. The decision follows revelations that the suspect in the recent Brown University shooting entered the United States through the diversity lottery in 2017.+1
Noem identified the suspect as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a Portuguese national. Valente, who was later found dead by suicide, is accused of an attack that left two students dead and nine others wounded before he allegedly killed an MIT professor.
Acting under President Donald Trump’s direction, Noem ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to halt all processing related to the program. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem stated, calling the lottery a “disastrous program.”+1
The Diversity Visa Program, created in the 1990s, randomly selects up to 50,000 applicants annually from countries with low immigration rates. Critics argue that a lottery system creates significant security risks and runs counter to a merit-based immigration model.+1
The Trump administration has long opposed the lottery, previously citing the 2017 New York City truck attack as proof of its dangers. While supporters argue the program promotes international goodwill, the administration is now prioritizing stricter vetting and public safety.+1
This move may trigger a legal battle, as the program is established by federal law and largely overseen by the State Department. However, conservatives maintain that replacing the random draw with a skills-based system is necessary to prevent further tragedies on American soil.