The United States has suspended its Green Card Lottery programme following a deadly shooting at Brown University, a move ordered by President Donald Trump amidst concerns over immigration and national security.
On Thursday alone, 75 Nepali nationals were deported to Kathmandu on a chartered flight. Those removed included 72 men and three women, most of whom had entered the US through irregular routes. Two had overstayed temporary visas, while one individual was deported after failing to renew a permanent resident card despite living in the US for three decades.
The DV Lottery, officially known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, makes up to 50,000 green cards available each year through a random selection process. It is designed to diversify US immigration by granting visas to applicants from countries with historically low migration rates to the United States, many of them in Africa and Asia.
The decision came after US officials said the suspect in the Brown University attack had previously entered the country through the Diversity Visa (DV) Programme. The shooting, which also raised alarms at nearby institutions including MIT, left two people dead. The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Neves Valente, was later found dead. Authorities stated that he migrated to the US in 2017 under the Diversity Visa program and later obtained permanent residency.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said President Trump directed the suspension to allow a review of the programme’s security safeguards. Trump has long criticised the diversity visa system, arguing it poses risks and should be eliminated.
Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, with more than 131,000 individuals selected when spouses were included. Winners are invited to apply for permanent residency and must pass interviews at US consulates, along with the same background checks and eligibility requirements faced by other green card applicants. Portuguese citizens secured just 38 slots in the most recent draw.
The suspension comes as the Trump administration intensifies immigration enforcement more broadly.
