WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the suspension of the green card lottery program that permitted the entry of the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings into the United States. This bold decision was confirmed via a post by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the social media platform X, citing direct instructions from Trump. The legislation in question, the diversity visa lottery, provided a pathway to residency for individuals from underrepresented countries, primarily focusing on applicants from Africa.
The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, originally from Portugal, is linked to the horrific shootings that resulted in two student deaths and numerous injuries at Brown University, while also allegedly causing the death of an MIT professor. Tragically, Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that evening.
With the lottery program, which offers 50,000 green cards annually through a lottery system, drawing about 20 million applications this cycle, the response is a significant step by the administration amid scrutiny over public safety and immigration policies. Critics view this as an exploitation of a tragic incident to further tighten immigration regulations, with previous criticisms levied against Trump regarding similar policy shifts following major incidents involving immigrants.
While the program had helped many find a new life in the United States, this sudden suspension raises questions about the long-term future of such immigration pathways, as it is expected to draw legal disputes over its legitimacy and impacts on incoming applicants.
The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, originally from Portugal, is linked to the horrific shootings that resulted in two student deaths and numerous injuries at Brown University, while also allegedly causing the death of an MIT professor. Tragically, Neves Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound later that evening.
With the lottery program, which offers 50,000 green cards annually through a lottery system, drawing about 20 million applications this cycle, the response is a significant step by the administration amid scrutiny over public safety and immigration policies. Critics view this as an exploitation of a tragic incident to further tighten immigration regulations, with previous criticisms levied against Trump regarding similar policy shifts following major incidents involving immigrants.
While the program had helped many find a new life in the United States, this sudden suspension raises questions about the long-term future of such immigration pathways, as it is expected to draw legal disputes over its legitimacy and impacts on incoming applicants.
