Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
In a major shift in U.S. immigration policy, the Trump administration has suspended the Diversity Immigrant Visa lottery programme, commonly known as the U.S. green card lottery, in a move officials say is tied to national security considerations following a series of high-profile violent incidents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the decision on Thursday, saying the programme will be paused immediately at the direction of President Donald Trump.
The Diversity Visa (DV1) lottery, established by Congress in the 1990s, annually awards up to 50,000 permanent resident visas through a random selection process to nationals of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. Successful applicants, along with spouses and dependents, must still undergo thorough background checks, interviews and vetting before being granted entry or residency rights under U.S. law.
The suspension follows a deadly shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and the subsequent killing of a professor affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Authorities identified Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national accused in those attacks, as having obtained permanent resident status through the DV lottery after entering the United States on a student visa in the early 2000s. Noem cited these incidents as justification for halting the programme, asserting that such individuals “should never have been allowed in our country.”
Officials emphasised that the pause is aimed at reassessing the green card lottery’s role within the broader U.S. immigration and national security framework. At the time of the announcement, nearly 20 million people had applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with more than 131,000 applicants selected to pursue immigrant visas — a group that includes principal applicants and their family members.
The Trump administration’s action marks the latest in a series of immigration policy changes that have tightened legal pathways to the United States. This includes other measures affecting asylum, refugee resettlement and broader green card processing, some of which have been challenged in the courts or triggered intense debate among legal experts, civil liberties advocates and lawmakers.
Critics of the suspension argue that the Diversity Visa programme has long been a unique avenue for legal immigration, providing opportunities for individuals from parts of the world under-represented in U.S. immigration patterns. They caution that pausing or ending it could face legal challenges on the grounds that Congress created and authorises the programme and that administrative action alone may not suffice to eliminate it indefinitely.
Supporters of the move, including hard-line immigration policy advocates, have framed the suspension as a necessary step in tightening U.S. borders and preventing future security risks. They argue that existing immigration pathways should continue to prioritise stringent vetting and merit-based criteria.
The suspension’s immediate effect is legal uncertainty for current DV lottery selectees and prospective applicants, many of whom had already begun preparing documentation and interview schedules. As the pause takes effect, immigration authorities have yet to clarify whether pending interviews will proceed or how previously selected applicants will be affected in the longer term.
The decision also reflects a broader policy direction under the Trump administration, which has signalled an ongoing push to reshape U.S. immigration systems — including prior efforts to redesign visas based on employment and wage criteria rather than lotteries or family ties.
Legal scholars and advocacy groups are already anticipating challenges to the suspension, noting that because the diversity visa programme was established by statute, any permanent change could require congressional action rather than executive directive. Courts may soon be asked to weigh in on the legality of the administration’s authority to halt a programme created by law.
As developments unfold, the suspension of the U.S. green card lottery is poised to reshape legal immigration prospects for thousands of prospective migrants and will likely remain a flashpoint in debates over national security, immigration policy and the future of diversity-oriented visa programmes.
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