President Trump has taken action to suspend the visa lottery program following the tragic events involving Claudio Neves Valente, a Portugal native who used the program to enter the US. Valente, who obtained a Diversity Immigrant (DV1) Visa in 2017 and subsequently a green card, was the prime suspect in the shooting that claimed the lives of two Brown University students and an MIT professor.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the suspension of the DV1 program was necessary to prevent further harm to Americans. Valente, who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, had a history with Brown University where he enrolled in a graduate physics program in the early 2000s.
The DV1 program, established in 1990, awards up to 50,000 visas annually to applicants from countries with low levels of emigration to the US. Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with Portuguese nationals receiving 38 slots. President Trump had previously called for an end to the program in response to a 2017 attack in Lower Manhattan.
The tragic events involving Valente have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the visa lottery program and the need for stricter vetting processes. The suspension of the DV1 program is a step towards ensuring the safety and security of Americans.
