President Donald Trump has ordered the immediate suspension of the Diversity Visa Lottery Program, commonly referred to as the green card lottery.
In a statement issued on Friday, December 19, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the move followed renewed scrutiny of the program after a deadly shooting involving a former diversity visa recipient, as well as past terrorist attacks linked to the same immigration pathway.
Noem said the suspect in the Brown University shooting entered the United States through the diversity visa program in 2017 and later obtained permanent residency, raising fresh concerns about vetting under the scheme.
Trump Orders Immediate Suspension of Green Card Lottery Program. Photo: Courtesy.
She also cited a previous deadly attack in New York City during Trump’s earlier presidency, noting that similar concerns about the program had been raised following that incident involving a diversity visa recipient.
Noem said Trump’s directive takes immediate effect, with immigration authorities instructed to suspend the Diversity Visa Lottery Program as further action is considered.
She said the Department of Homeland Security has directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the DV1 program, citing public safety concerns linked to its operation.
The decision comes weeks after Trump announced plans to significantly restrict migration from what he described as Third World countries, framing the move as necessary for the country’s recovery.
In a statement issued on November 28, Trump said his administration intends to remove noncitizens he deems unhelpful to the United States, eliminate federal support for them, and pursue denaturalization for individuals considered a threat to domestic stability.
He said the measures aim to reduce what he described as illegal and disruptive populations, including individuals he claims were admitted through unauthorized processes.
Trump maintained that reversing migration flows is, in his view, the only effective solution to what he characterizes as America’s immigration challenges.
