The United States government has suspended its Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, commonly known as the Green Card Lottery, following a recent series of violent incidents allegedly linked to a former beneficiary of the scheme.
The decision was announced after a mass shooting at Brown University last week that left two people dead. The suspect, 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, was later found dead in New Hampshire from what authorities believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators say the suspect also killed 47-year-old MIT professor Nuno Loureiro earlier in the week.
According to U.S. officials, Valente entered the country in 2017 through the Diversity Visa Program and subsequently received permanent residency. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she has halted the program under the directive of former President Donald Trump, stating the step was taken to ensure “no American has to suffer again because of this dangerous program.”
Authorities say Valente was tracked after a multi-state, six-day search involving public tips and surveillance footage. He was discovered with firearms and other evidence linking him to the shootings.
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