US Suspends Green Card Lottery After Brown University Shooting Kills Two Students
The United States has suspended its popular green card visa lottery scheme following a deadly mass shooting at Brown University that left two students dead and several others injured.
US President Donald Trump ordered the immediate pause of the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme after investigators confirmed that the suspected gunman entered the country through the lottery system and later obtained permanent residency.
The announcement has sparked intense debate both in the US and internationally, as the green card lottery has long been a pathway for migrants from low-immigration countries to legally enter the United States.
Suspect Linked to Visa Lottery Programme
According to US officials, the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national, arrived in the US through the diversity visa programme in 2017 and was later granted a green card.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspension was necessary to prevent further loss of life, describing the programme as a security risk that required urgent review.
She stated that the directive came directly from President Trump, who has previously criticised the visa lottery system and attempted to scrap it during his first term.
Deadly Campus Shooting Shocks US
The Brown University shooting occurred on December 13, 2025, when a gunman stormed an engineering building during final examinations and opened fire.
Two students, Ella Cook, 19, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, were killed in the attack, while nine others sustained injuries. The incident triggered a multi-state manhunt that lasted nearly a week.
Authorities later found the suspect dead in a storage facility in New Hampshire from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
READ:DV Lottery Winner Gives Tips On How To Win The 2025 US Visa Lottery
Second Killing Deepens Alarm
Investigators believe the same suspect also shot and killed MIT professor Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, at his home in Massachusetts just days after the Brown University attack.
Police linked the two cases using CCTV footage, vehicle tracking, and witness accounts. Both men were reported to have studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s.
No official motive has yet been established for either killing.
What the Visa Lottery Suspension Means
The diversity visa programme issues up to 50,000 green cards annually through a random selection process. Its suspension could affect thousands of applicants worldwide, including many from Africa.
US authorities say the pause will remain in effect while security agencies review screening procedures and assess national safety risks.
For now, the decision marks one of the most dramatic immigration policy shifts following a campus shooting in recent US history.
