WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery program in response to the devastating shootings at Brown University and MIT, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem declaring the decision to pause the program. The program, which allowed the Portuguese suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, to enter the U.S., has come under harsh criticism after the tragic events left multiple victims dead and injured.
Secretary Noem expressed her outrage on social media, stating, This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country, following the identification of Neves Valente as the shooter. He is accused of killing two students and an MIT professor before taking his own life.
The diversity visa program, designed to diversify immigrants in the U.S. by offering 50,000 green cards annually through a lottery system, has come under fire from the Trump administration for being too lenient. Legal experts expect the suspension could face multiple legal challenges due to its abruptness and implications for future immigration policy.
Statistics reveal that almost 20 million individuals applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with less than 40 slots awarded to Portuguese citizens among others. Trump has been vocally opposed to the diversity visa lottery, often linking such programs to national security risks and criminal activity.
This decision marks another chapter in the ongoing debate over immigration during periods of crisis, with critics suggesting that such moves are politically motivated and exploit tragedies to further restrict immigration pathways. Trump's administration has previously implemented strict measures on immigration, especially in response to national security incidents.
As the nation determines the implications of this policy shift, questions loom over the future of the green card lottery and the broader immigration policies under Trump's administration.
