US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced
Thursday the immediate suspension of the Diversity Visa Lottery program, a
mechanism through which permanent resident cards—known as green cards—are
awarded by lottery to citizens of countries with low rates of immigration to
the United States. The decision comes after authorities confirmed that the
alleged perpetrator of the recent shooting at Brown University entered the
country through this immigration program.
In a message posted on social media, Noem explained that the
suspect, identified as Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, a Portuguese national,
obtained legal entry to the United States in 2017 through the program known as
DV1, after which he was granted permanent residency. According to the official,
this incident demonstrates the risks associated with a system that, she
asserted, does not fully guarantee national security.
In that context, the Secretary of Homeland Security
emphasized that the measure was in response to a direct order from President
Donald Trump. “Following the President’s instructions, I have immediately
directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to suspend the DV-1
program, with the goal of preventing more Americans from being harmed by what I
consider a failed program,” Noem stated.
The suspension of the program marks a new shift in U.S.
immigration policy and is expected to spark a debate about the future of legal
admissions mechanisms to the country, as well as the balance between
immigration diversity and homeland security.
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