President Donald Trump has ordered the suspension of the green card lottery program, known as the DV1 visa, following tragic shootings at two universities that left two students dead and nine others injured. The decision was announced in the wake of events surrounding the alleged gunman, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national suspected of carrying out the attacks.
The first shooting occurred at Brown University on March 2, 2024, where two students lost their lives, and several others sustained injuries. Just days later, on March 4, Nuno Loureiro, director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was found dead in his home, located approximately three miles from the university campus. Authorities believe that Valente is responsible for both incidents. He died by suicide at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, shortly after the shootings.
Valente entered the United States in 2017 through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program. In a statement on social media, Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security, expressed her outrage, stating, “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.” Noem commended Trump for his efforts to terminate the DV1 program, which he previously sought to end following a 2017 attack in New York City by another visa holder that resulted in multiple fatalities.
Noem announced, “At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.” The specific circumstances that allowed Valente to enter the U.S. in 2017 remain unclear. Notably, he had a prior history in the country, having been a graduate student at Brown University, where he enrolled in a physics Ph.D. program in the fall of 2000. According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Valente attended for only three semesters before taking a leave of absence in 2001 and formally withdrawing in July 2003.
The suspension of the DV1 program raises significant questions about immigration policy and its implications for future applicants. The program was designed to promote diversity by granting visas to individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the U.S. Critics argue that this measure may unfairly penalize individuals seeking opportunities through legitimate channels.
As investigations continue into the shootings and Valente’s background, the impact of this decision on immigration policy and public safety remains to be seen. The administration’s stance underscores a broader debate about balancing national security with the principles of inclusivity and opportunity that many associate with America’s immigration system.
