Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery After Deadly Brown University Shooting
US President Donald Trump has ordered the immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa programme—commonly known as the green card lottery—following a deadly shooting at Brown University that left three people dead.
The decision was confirmed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Thursday, December 18, who said the President had instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to halt the programme with immediate effect.
The move comes after a gunman opened fire inside a classroom at the Ivy League university earlier this month, killing two undergraduate students and a university professor, while injuring nine others. The suspect was later found dead, with investigators stating that his death may have been caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to U.S. government officials, the suspected shooter—a Portuguese national—entered the United States in 2017 through the Diversity Visa (DV) programme and was subsequently granted lawful permanent residency.
“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately instructing USCIS to pause the DV1 programme to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous policy,” Noem said in a statement.
She added that the President has consistently opposed the green card lottery, arguing that it undermines U.S. immigration security and prioritises random selection over merit-based vetting.
“This programme has been deeply flawed for years,” Noem said. “In 2017, President Trump fought to end the diversity visa lottery following the devastating New York City truck ramming attack, in which an ISIS-linked terrorist entered the country under the DV programme and murdered eight innocent people.”
Trump has long argued that the lottery system conflicts with his administration’s broader immigration agenda, which emphasises stricter border controls and a merit-based immigration framework focused on skills and security screening.
The White House has not indicated how long the suspension will remain in place, though officials say a full review of the programme’s security implications is underway.
The suspension is expected to have significant global repercussions, particularly for countries such as Kenya, which has historically been among the top beneficiaries of the Diversity Visa scheme. Each year, thousands of Kenyans apply for the programme, with many securing permanent residency and relocation opportunities in the United States.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa programme, established by the U.S. government, allocates up to 55,000 immigrant visas annually to applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Winners are selected through a randomised computer draw and, upon approval, are granted permanent resident status.
Supporters of the programme argue that it promotes global diversity and offers life-changing opportunities for education, employment and economic mobility. Critics, however, contend that the random selection process poses security risks and lacks sufficient safeguards.
The latest development is likely to reignite debate in Congress, where previous attempts to abolish the programme have failed amid strong opposition from Democrats and immigrant advocacy groups.
As investigations into the Brown University shooting continue, the Trump administration has signalled that immigration security will remain a central pillar of its policy response, with further reforms potentially on the horizon.
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Trump Suspends Green Card Lottery After Deadly Brown University Shooting