Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery After Shootings in Brown University and MIT

President Donald Trump suspended the U.S. green card lottery program on Thursday, following the violent shootings at Brown University and MIT. This decision came after it was revealed that the suspect, Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, entered the U.S. through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated, 'This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,' referring to Neves Valente, who is suspected of killing two students and an MIT professor before taking his own life.

The diversity visa program, which allocates 50,000 green cards annually through a lottery system, has faced opposition from Trump for years. Critics argue that the program is crucial for underrepresented individuals seeking opportunities in the U.S.

However, the recent tragedy has reignited discussions about immigration policy and national security, with potential legal challenges anticipated against this suspension. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, and only 38 slots were allocated to Portuguese citizens, highlighting the competitive nature of this immigration pathway.

Trump's administration has previously used incidents of violence involving immigrants to push for stricter immigration policies, indicating a continued trend of linking public safety concerns with immigration reform.