US President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of the green card diversity lottery programme following a deadly mass shooting at Brown University, reigniting long-standing debates over immigration and national security.
The decision comes after authorities confirmed that the suspected gunman, Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, entered the United States through the Diversity Visa Lottery (DV1) in 2017 and later obtained permanent residency.
Government Response
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the suspension on social media, saying the move was taken under Trump’s direction to prevent further loss of life.
“This disastrous programme has already caused irreparable harm,” Noem said, adding that the administration is acting to “ensure no more Americans are harmed.”
The diversity visa programme allocates up to 50,000 green cards annually through a random lottery for applicants from countries with low immigration rates to the US.
Details of the Shooting
The Brown University attack occurred on 13 December, when a gunman opened fire inside the university’s engineering building during final exams. Two students were killed and nine others injured.
The victims were identified as Ella Cook, 19, a second-year student from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, an Uzbek-American freshman.
Following a six-day multi-state manhunt, Neves Valente was found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Authorities recovered two firearms and a satchel at the scene. Evidence found in a nearby vehicle matched materials recovered from the Brown University shooting.
Linked MIT Killing
Investigators believe Neves Valente was also responsible for the killing of MIT professor Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, who was shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, earlier in the week.
Officials say the two men had studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s. CCTV footage and witness accounts linked the suspect’s vehicle to both crime scenes.
Brown University President Christina Paxson confirmed that Neves Valente had been enrolled at the Ivy League institution from 2000 to 2001 while pursuing a PhD in physics but had no current affiliation with the school.
Political Backdrop
The suspension revives Trump’s earlier efforts to abolish the diversity visa scheme. In 2017, he pushed to end the programme following a deadly truck-ramming attack in New York City, carried out by Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek national who also entered the US through the DV1 programme.
Saipov, an Islamic State supporter, is currently serving multiple life sentences.
Unanswered Questions
Authorities have not yet identified a motive for either the Brown University shooting or the killing of the MIT professor.
As investigations continue, the suspension of the green card lottery is expected to fuel renewed political and legal battles over immigration policy, security screening, and the future of the diversity visa programme.
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