US Halts Green Card Lottery in Response to Brown University Shooting

In the wake of a tragic shooting at Brown University that claimed two lives, President Trump has suspended the green card lottery program previously utilized by the suspect, a Portuguese immigrant.

The suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, was granted a green card after entering the United States through the diversity visa program in 2017. Following the shooting incident, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the suspension, stating it is aimed at preventing further risks to American safety.

The victimized students were identified as Ella Cook, a 19-year-old from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an 18-year-old Uzbek-American who had just begun his studies. The shooting occurred during final exams, causing widespread panic as the assailant opened fire in the engineering building.

Noem cited a previous incident where the program was under scrutiny after a deadly attack in New York, emphasizing the need for reevaluation of policies that potentially endanger communities.

The heightened security concerns come as Valente was also linked to the murder of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro earlier in the same week. Law enforcement indicated that the suspect was discovered dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following a multi-state manhunt.

Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding both attacks and have yet to establish a clear motive for the gunman. The pause on the visa program may lead to further debates regarding immigration policy in light of such violent incidents.