President Donald Trump has suspended the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery program, which annually grants 50,000 green cards to nationals worldwide.
The suspension follows revelations that Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who entered the U.S. through the program, was responsible for shootings at Brown University and MIT that left two students dead and nine others wounded.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the suspension in a post on 𝕏, noting that the directive came directly from Trump.
Valente, who first arrived in the U.S. on a student visa in 2000 and became a permanent resident in 2017, was later found dead from self‑inflicted gunshot wounds.
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said.
Expanded Travel Ban Targets 15 New Countries
Alongside the lottery suspension, Trump signed a new Proclamation on December 16, 2025, expanding U.S. travel restrictions to 15 additional countries, with a heavy focus on Africa.
Nations now facing partial limitations—including bans on immigrant visas and specific non‑immigrant categories (B‑1, B‑2, F, M, J)—include: Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Tonga.
The Proclamation maintains full restrictions on 12 previously listed high‑risk countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while adding Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and holders of Palestinian Authority travel documents.
Laos and Sierra Leone were upgraded from partial to full restrictions.
Exceptions remain for lawful permanent residents, current visa holders, diplomats, athletes, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests.
The Proclamation also lifted non‑immigrant visa bans for Turkmenistan, citing improved cooperation, though immigrant visa restrictions remain.
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