The United States Immigration Agency has been directed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, to halt its diversity lottery program in the following weeks after the suspect of the Brown University shooting was discovered to be an immigrant, entered the country through the program, and was a green card holder from Portugal.
The suspect was Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old who was a Portuguese national. He allegedly entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program in 2017 and was then granted a green card. This statement was posted on X, previously known as Twitter, on December 18, 2025, by Noem: “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she said.“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”
The Diversity Visa works by offering visas to countries with low immigration rates to the United States. The computer system checks that they meet the requirements of education and work experience. It involves a short online period, leading to a lottery, and the selected individuals are required to complete extensive applications. This process requires a background check and interviews to prove eligibility to gain residency in the United States.
The Department of State has released a statement on their website stating, “This pause will allow the Department to undertake a review of the screening and vetting protocols in the DV program. This review will address any vulnerabilities in the process to ensure the Department can adequately establish the identity of aliens who are selected through the DV entry lottery, establish the applicants’ visa eligibility, and ensure that they do not present a threat to national security or public safety.”
Under this program, up to 55,000 immigrants can enter the U.S. legally each year. Pausing this program can harm the United States by creating legal challenges and harming our workforce by limiting diversity. The limited diversity in our workforce can separate families, reduce the achievement of essential labor, which will in turn harm the U.S living standard. This also impacts the immigrants who are awaiting their visas, as it delays them from acquiring their green cards and can harm their permanent residency paths as well. As President John F. Kennedy once said, “Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.”
