White House officials have suspended the U.S. Diversity Visa lottery program following the identification of a shooter in the Brown University attack that left two dead and nine injured. Authorities confirmed the suspect, 48-year-old Portuguese national Claudio Neves-Valente, entered the United States through a Diversity Visa issued to him in 2017.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated Neves-Valente received his Diversity Visa during the 2017 program and later became a permanent resident. In response to the shooting, President Trump has ordered an immediate halt to all new Diversity Visa issuances. Noem described the suspect as “this heinous individual who should never have been allowed in our country.”

According to police records from Providence, Rhode Island, Neves-Valente initially entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2000 and later obtained permanent residency in 2017. He was found dead Thursday evening after a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Diversity Visa program annually awards up to 50,000 green cards via lottery to residents of countries underrepresented in the U.S., including many from Africa. Nearly 20 million applicants targeted the 2025 draw, with over 131,000 winners selected when including spouses. Portuguese citizens secured only 38 slots in the program.

President Trump previously opposed the Diversity Visa lottery after an ISIS-linked attacker used it to enter the U.S. and killed eight people during a 2016 NYC truck ramming incident. His administration has since implemented restrictions on immigration from Afghanistan following a November attack on National Guard members.

Noem’s order to pause the program aligns with Trump’s longstanding stance against the initiative, which he has repeatedly criticized as “disastrous.” The decision follows the Brown University shooting and aims to prevent further harm, according to White House officials.