Brace yourselves, folks—President Trump just dropped a bombshell by suspending a visa program tied to a horrific string of campus shootings.
The administration’s decision to pause the green card lottery, officially dubbed the DV1 program, on Dec. 19, 2025, comes on the heels of tragedy at Brown University and MIT, with the suspect linked directly to this controversial immigration pathway, as Just The News reports.
Let’s rewind to 2017, when Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, entered the U.S. through the DV1 program and secured a green card. This same individual, later a student at Brown University with a last known address in Miami, Florida, would become the prime suspect in unthinkable violence.
Fast forward to a grim Saturday, when a shooting at Brown University left two students dead and nine others injured. Valente is believed to be the perpetrator of this heartbreaking incident.
Not long after, authorities identified Valente as the likely shooter who fatally gunned down MIT professor Nuno Loureiro. Adding a chilling layer, it’s believed Valente and Loureiro attended the same academic program back in Portugal, raising questions about motive that investigators are still piecing together.
By Thursday night, in the same week as the administration’s announcement, Valente was found dead, closing a dark chapter but leaving a nation reeling from the carnage.
Now, let’s talk policy—this isn’t the first time the DV1 program has come under fire. Back in 2017, President Trump pushed to scrap it after a terrorist, who also entered via this lottery, carried out a devastating truck attack in New York City, killing eight innocent people.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem didn’t mince words when addressing Valente’s entry into the country. “The Brown University shooter, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card,” Noem stated. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.”
Her statement cuts to the core of a conservative frustration with lax immigration vetting, though one wonders if painting every lottery entrant with the same brush risks punishing the many for the sins of the few. Still, the concern for public safety isn’t unfounded given the body count.
Noem also highlighted past efforts to end the program, saying, “In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people.” She added, “At President Trump’s direction, I am immediately directing USCIS to pause the DV1 program to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”
That’s a firm stance, but here’s the rub—can the president even do this? The visa lottery was set up by Congress, and as The Hill points out, it’s unclear if Trump has the legal muscle to hit the pause button without legislative backing.
This uncertainty fuels a broader debate about executive overreach versus the urgent need to protect American lives. Critics of progressive immigration policies might cheer this move, but they’ll need to brace for courtroom battles ahead.
For now, the suspension of the DV1 program sends a clear message: safety first. Yet, it’s worth asking whether shutting down an entire system addresses root causes or simply shifts the problem elsewhere.
The tragedy of Brown and MIT lingers, a stark reminder of the human cost when systems fail. While the left may cry foul over this suspension, the right sees it as a long-overdue correction to a flawed policy—though empathy for the victims must remain front and center.
Ultimately, this story isn’t just about a paused program; it’s about finding a balance between open borders and ironclad security. The road ahead will test whether America can secure its future without losing its soul, and that’s a conversation worth having—minus the woke platitudes, please.
