Trump admin pauses diversity visa program at Brown 'to ensure no more Americans are harmed'
In a social media post, Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the Diversity Visa Program will be paused 'to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.'
The pause to the program comes after authorities claim that the gunman who killed students at Brown University, and a professor at MIT, utilized the program to gain entry into the U.S.
Secretary Kristi Noem has announced that a “diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1),” which allowed the Brown University gunman to obtain a green card, has been paused.
In a Dec. 19 post uploaded onto Secretary Noem’s X account, she stated that “The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.”
The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.
In 2017, President Trump…— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025
Noem added that President Trump fought to end the program in 2017 after a ISIS terrorist who also granted a visa under the DV1 program rammed a truck in New York City, and subsequently received a life sentence for his actions.
Ending the statement, Noem added that: “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.”
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Campus Reform that “President Trump has repeatedly tried to end the Diversity Visa Program.”
Providing a timeline of President Trump’s actions, McLaughlin outlined that between 2017 to 2021, “POTUS Trump supported legislative efforts like the RAISE Act to eliminate the diversity visa lottery. This was stopped by Chuck Schumer and Democrats.”
McLaughlin added that in 2019, “POTUS Trump Implemented a passport requirement for lottery applicants, significantly reducing applications. This was halted by the courts,” and that in 2020, President Trump suspended diversity visa processing, “And then, of course, President Biden turned it back on.”
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Caludio Manuel Neves Valente, the suspected Brown University and MIT professor gunman, was found dead in New Hampshire following several days of authorities attempting to locate him.
On the U.S. Department of State’s website, the Diversity Visa Program lists a 10-step process consisting of actions where applicants submit their entry, confirm qualifications, and are interviewed.
On a separate Department of State page for the program, the site lists that, “There is no cost to register for the DV program, but selectees who are scheduled for an interview will be required to pay a visa application fee prior to making their formal visa application where a consular officer will determine whether they qualify for the visa.”
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A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services webpage also lists out details of the Diversity Visa Program, outlining that it “makes up to 50,000 immigrant visas available annually, drawn from random selection among all entries to individuals who are from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.”
On that web page, criteria that the State Department outlines for applicants to be considered eligible to receive a visa includes that they must have been selected by the lottery system, have a readily available immigrant visa when approved, and are admissible to the United States.
The Diversity Visa Program also prioritizes individuals from countries who have low immigration rates to the United States, as reported by The Hill.
Campus Reform has contacted Brown University, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
