DHS Secretary Kristi Noem suspended the diversity visa lottery program after a Portuguese national who entered through the program killed two students at Brown University, exposing yet another dangerous flaw in America’s immigration system.
Story Highlights
- DHS suspends diversity visa program after Brown University shooter used it to enter U.S. in 2017
- Portuguese national Claudio Valente killed two Brown students and MIT professor before dying in New Hampshire
- Program randomly distributes 50,000 visas annually to countries with low U.S. immigration rates
- Trump previously fought to eliminate program after 2017 ISIS terrorist attack in NYC
Swift Action Against Failed Immigration Program
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program on December 18, 2025, following the tragic Brown University shooting.
The decision came after authorities confirmed that shooter Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, had entered the United States through this lottery-based visa program in 2017. Noem instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program “to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”
#Breaking: President Trump suspends green card lottery program that allowed suspect in Brown University shooting and killing of MIT professor into the United States.https://t.co/rPZVMYxuU8
— NBC 10 WJAR (@NBC10) December 19, 2025
Deadly Campus Rampage Shocks Nation
The December 13, 2025 shooting at Brown University’s physics building left two students dead and nine others injured, marking another devastating campus tragedy. Portuguese national Valente, a former Ph.D. student who had enrolled in the university’s physics program in 2000, carried out the attack before fleeing the scene.
Two days later, authorities suspect Valente murdered MIT physics professor Nuno Loureiro in his Brookline, Massachusetts home, expanding the scope of his killing spree.
Suspect’s Death Ends Manhunt
Law enforcement discovered Valente’s body in a New Hampshire storage facility on December 18, 2025, ending the intense manhunt that gripped New England.
Providence Chief of Police Oscar Perez confirmed the suspect’s death, while the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston assured the public that “there’s no longer a threat.” The discovery brought closure to families and communities terrorized by Valente’s violent actions across multiple states.
Lottery System’s Dangerous Track Record
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program distributes up to 50,000 immigrant visas annually through a random lottery system to individuals from countries with historically low U.S. immigration rates.
This arbitrary selection process has repeatedly allowed dangerous individuals to enter America, as Noem highlighted in her announcement.
She referenced President Trump’s 2017 efforts to eliminate the program following a devastating ISIS terrorist attack in New York City, where the perpetrator had also gained entry through the diversity visa lottery.
