Suspension of the United States Diversity Immigrant Visa (Green Card) Program (2025)

The suspension of the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) is an administrative decision made by the Department of Homeland Security on December 18, 2025, in accordance with instructions from U.S. President Donald Trump, which permanently halted the implementation of the program.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem explaining the suspension decision. – (Anadolu Agency)

Program Definition and Scope

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is a migration mechanism established by the U.S. Congress that allocates permanent residency permits (green cards) annually by lottery to citizens of countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. Under the program, a maximum of 50,000 individuals are granted immigrant visas each year.

Selected applicants, after winning the lottery, are required to attend an interview at U.S. diplomatic missions and undergo security investigations and legal reviews, just like all other green card applicants. Winning the lottery does not automatically grant entry to the United States or permanent residency status.

Decision to Suspend the Program

In December 2025, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, acting on instructions from President Donald Trump, requested the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to terminate the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The decision was publicly announced on December 18, 2025, following armed attacks linked to Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In a statement on the social media platform X, Kristi Noem linked the rationale for the decision to the fact that the individual identified as the perpetrator had obtained permanent residency status in the United States through a green card. Noem stated: “This violent individual should never have been admitted to our country.”

Connection to the Brown University and MIT Incidents

U.S. authorities have identified Claudio Manuel Neves Valente as the perpetrator of the armed attack at Brown University that resulted in the deaths of two students and injuries to nine others, as well as the killing of a professor at MIT. It has been reported that Valente, aged 48, is a Portuguese national who previously studied at Brown University.

According to officials, Valente entered the United States in 2000 on a student visa and in 2017 obtained a visa through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, subsequently gaining legal permanent residency status. Valente was found dead in December 2025 by security forces; his death was reported to be the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Legal Status and Basis of the Program

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program is a statutory program established by the U.S. Congress. Its suspension was carried out through an administrative action. At this stage, no judicial ruling has been issued regarding the suspension of the program.