U.S President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of the United States Diversity Visa Immigrant Programme (DV1), also known as the green card lottery.
Gatekeepers News reports that the directive was announced on Friday by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said the programme had allowed the suspect in recent shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to enter the US.
The DV1 lottery annually grants up to 50,000 green cards to selected immigrants from around the world. In 2025, nearly 20 million people applied, with over 131,000 selected for further processing, which includes vetting and interviews before entry into the United States. Trump has long criticised the programme, citing security concerns.
Providence, Rhode Island Police Chief Oscar Perez said the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national, first entered the US on a student visa in 2000 and became a permanent resident in 2017. Valente was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Noem commented on X, saying, “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.”
Portuguese citizens secured only 38 slots in the 2025 DV1 lottery. Lottery winners undergo the same vetting, interviews, and eligibility requirements as other green card applicants before receiving permanent residency.
