Trump Ends Green Card Lottery After Shootings | NPR

Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery After Brown University and MIT Shootings

A decisive move following a tragic series of events, President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery program, a system that allowed the suspect in the recent Brown University and MIT shootings to legally immigrate to the United States. The suspension, announced Thursday, December 11, 2025, is the latest in a series of policy shifts aimed at restricting immigration, and is almost certain to face legal challenges.

Immediate response to a National Tragedy

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed the decision on the social platform X, stating it was made at the direction of President Trump. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” she said, referring to Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national suspected of killing two Brown university students, wounding nine others, and fatally shooting an MIT professor. valente was found dead Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to officials.

Did you know? – The Diversity Visa Program, often called the green card lottery, was established by the Immigration Act of 1990. It aims to diversify the immigrant population in the U.S. by prioritizing applicants from countries with low immigration rates.

Suspect’s Path to Legal residency

According to an affidavit from a Providence police detective, Neves Valente initially came to the U.S.in 2000 on a student visa to attend Brown University. He later took a leave of absence in 2001, and his whereabouts remained unclear for over a decade. In 2017, he was granted a diversity immigrant visa – commonly known as a green card through the lottery – and later obtained legal permanent residence status.

the diversity visa program allocates up to 50,000 green cards annually to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S., with a significant proportion originating from African nations. The program was established by Congress, and this suspension represents a direct challenge to existing legislation. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with over 131,000 ultimately selected, including spouses. Despite the high volume of applications, citizens of Portugal were awarded only 38 slots.

Winners of the lottery are required to undergo a vetting process before being admitted to the United States, including interviews at consulates and adherence to the same standards as other green card applicants.

Pro tip: – Applicants selected in the Diversity Visa lottery must demonstrate financial stability and meet health and security requirements to become legal permanent residents.Failure to meet these criteria can result in disqualification.

A pattern of Policy Shifts

This action follows a familiar pattern for the trump management, which has consistently sought to limit both legal and illegal immigration. A senior official noted that the administration previously imposed restrictions on immigration from Afghanistan and other countries following a fatal attack on National Guard members in November.

Trump has long voiced opposition to the diversity visa lottery, and this suspension is viewed by many as an attempt to advance pre-existing immigration policy goals. Beyond the lottery, the administration is actively pursuing mass deportation efforts and has even challenged established legal principles, such as birthright citizenship, with a case recently accepted by the Supreme Court.

The suspension of the green card lottery underscores a broader strategy of restricting access to the United States, even when those avenues are legally enshrined.

Reader question: – Do you think suspending the lottery will effectively address national security concerns, or are there other immigration policies that would be more impactful? Share your thoughts.

Here’s a breakdown answering the “Why, Who, What, and How” questions, integrated into a more substantive news report:

What: President Donald Trump suspended