US Suspends Diversity Visa Program After Deadly University Shooting

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Friday, December 19th, 2025

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WASHINGTON — The United States has announced the immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program after the Department of Homeland Security linked the suspect in a series of deadly shootings to the scheme.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the decision followed the identification of 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente as the prime suspect in fatal attacks connected to Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Authorities said Neves-Valente allegedly killed two students and wounded nine others in a shooting at Brown University, before killing an MIT professor two days later in Brookline, Massachusetts.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, Noem said the suspect was granted lawful permanent resident status in 2017 after entering the United States through the Diversity Visa program. Acting on President Donald Trump’s direction, she ordered US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the program immediately, citing public safety concerns.
Noem did not provide details on how long the suspension would last or the legal mechanism being used. The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program was established by Congress and provides up to 50,000 visas annually, meaning any permanent change would require legislative approval.
The announcement followed a five-day manhunt that ended with Neves-Valente being found dead in a storage unit in New Hampshire, alongside firearms and evidence allegedly linking him to the attacks. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said the suspect initially entered the US on a student visa before obtaining permanent residency.
The move comes amid a broader tightening of US immigration policy under President Trump’s second term, including expanded restrictions on refugee programs and new limits on entry for nationals from several countries.