President Donald J. Trump has ordered the suspension of the Diversity Visa (DV1) Lottery Program, also known as the green card lottery, following the recent Brown University shooting.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that it is taking immediate steps to halt the visa program, which allows up to 55,000 people annually to obtain permanent residency in the United States through a randomized selection process.
The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Valente, is a Portuguese national and former Brown University student. According to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, he arrived in the United States in 2017 on a DV1 visa and later received a green card.
“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure this disastrous program harms no more Americans,” Noem wrote Thursday on X (formerly Twitter). She also added that President Trump had previously sought to terminate the program in 2017, during his first term.
The Diversity Visa Program, which falls under the jurisdiction of the State Department, is designed to encourage immigration from countries with historically low rates of U.S. immigration. While the State Department manages applicant selection, the issuance of green cards for approved entrants is handled by DHS through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
A State Department spokesperson said that recent violent incidents have renewed concerns about the security risks linked to the diversity visa program, an issue President Trump has long sought to address. The spokesperson added that the State Department and DHS are working together to implement measures aimed at protecting national security.
The latest announcement is part of a broader crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration in recent weeks. No timeline was provided for how long the suspension will last or what reforms may follow.