The United States Department of Homeland Security has suspended the green card diversity lottery following a deadly mass shooting linked to a beneficiary of the programme, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday.
The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, allegedly stormed a building at Brown University on December 13 and opened fire on students writing examinations, killing two people and injuring nine others.
Authorities also accuse Neves Valente of fatally shooting a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) two days after the Brown University attack.
In a statement shared on social media, Noem disclosed that the suspect gained entry into the United States through the diversity visa lottery.
“Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card,” she wrote.
She added that the suspension of the programme was ordered by President Donald Trump.
“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program,” Noem said.
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“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.”
Police confirmed on Thursday evening that Neves Valente was found dead from an apparent suicide after a manhunt that lasted several days.
The diversity visa, commonly known as the green card lottery, allows up to 55,000 people each year to obtain permanent residency in the US. According to the State Department, the programme targets applicants “from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.”
Eligibility requirements include having at least a high school education or a minimum of two years’ work or training experience, alongside a vetting process that involves background checks and a visa interview.