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| United States President Donald Trump |
United States President Donald Trump has ordered the immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, commonly known as the green card lottery, following a deadly shooting incident at Brown University.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday, December 18, that Trump had directed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pause the programme with immediate effect, citing security concerns.
The suspension follows a shooting at Brown University in which a gunman opened fire inside a classroom, killing two undergraduate students and a university professor, and injuring nine others.
The suspect was later found dead in what investigators believe may have been a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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| Shooting at Brown University |
According to U.S. government officials, the suspected shooter, a Portuguese national, is believed to have entered the United States through the Diversity Visa (DV1) programme in 2017 and was subsequently granted a green card.
“At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 programme to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous programme,” Noem said in a statement.
Noem added that Trump has long opposed the diversity visa lottery, arguing that it contradicts U.S. immigration policy and poses security risks.
She recalled that in 2017, Trump pushed to end the programme following a deadly truck-ramming attack in New York City carried out by an ISIS-linked terrorist who had also entered the country through the DV programme.
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| Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem |
The move is expected to have far-reaching implications for countries that have traditionally benefited from the lottery, including Kenya.
Over the years, thousands of Kenyans have gained lawful permanent residence in the U.S. through the programme.
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme is a U.S. government initiative that offers foreign nationals from eligible countries the opportunity to obtain permanent residency through a random computer-based selection process.
Successful applicants are allowed to live, work, and study in the United States.
The suspension marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy and raises uncertainty for applicants awaiting upcoming lottery selections.
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