US Pauses Diversity Visa Lottery After Campus Killings
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United States officials paused the Diversity Visa lottery after investigators linked the Brown University and MIT shootings to a 2017 lottery recipient. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, at President Trump's direction, directed USCIS to halt the program this week while authorities continue investigations into the suspect's background. The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, a Portuguese national who obtained permanent residency in 2017, was found dead after the attacks that killed two Brown students and an MIT professor. The action affects up to 50,000 annual visas and may face protracted legal challenges and oversight. Based on 11 articles reviewed and supporting research.
More context
Timeline
- 1. 2000–2001: Suspect attended Brown University on a student visa before leaving.
- 2. 2017: Suspect won a Diversity Immigrant Visa and obtained lawful permanent residence.
- 3. 13 December: Mass shooting at Brown University killed two students; multiple wounded.
- 4. 15 December: MIT professor was killed; authorities later connected incidents to same suspect.
- 5. 19 December: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced USCIS should pause the Diversity Visa lottery at Trump's direction.
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