United States President, Donald Trump, has officially suspended the Diversity Visa Lottery Programme, popularly known as the Green Card lottery, following recent fatal shootings linked to a beneficiary of the scheme.

The suspension was announced on Thursday by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, who said the action was taken at the direct instruction of President Trump.

In a post on the social media platform, X, Noem disclosed that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had been ordered to immediately pause the programme.

“This heinous individual should never have been allowed into our country,” Noem stated.

The decision followed revelations that a Portuguese national, Claudio Neves Valente, 48, who had obtained legal permanent residence in the United States through the lottery programme in 2017, had been identified as a suspect in multiple shootings.

Valente was alleged to have carried out shootings at Brown University, where two students were killed and nine others wounded, as well as the killing of a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Officials confirmed that Valente was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

According to the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Leah B. Foley, Valente legally entered and remained in the United States after securing permanent residency status through the Diversity Visa Lottery.

The Diversity Visa Programme, established by the U.S. Congress, provides up to 50,000 immigrant visas annually to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, with a significant number of beneficiaries coming from African nations.

Reports indicate that nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 visa lottery, with over 131,000 individuals selected when including spouses and dependants. Of this number, Portuguese nationals reportedly secured only 38 slots.

Winners of the lottery are invited to apply formally for permanent residency and must undergo consular interviews, background checks, and security vetting similar to other green card applicants before final approval.

The latest suspension is expected to attract legal challenges, as the programme is backed by congressional legislation.

President Trump has long criticised the Diversity Visa Lottery, describing it as a flawed immigration pathway. His administration has also cited concerns over rising gun violence linked to foreign nationals.

Recall that in November, an Afghan national was identified as the gunman in a deadly attack on National Guard members, after which the Trump administration imposed tighter immigration restrictions on Afghanistan and several other countries.

Analysts say the suspension of the Green Card lottery could have significant implications for Nigerians and other Africans, many of whom rely on the programme as a legal pathway to migrate to the United States.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and other African nations are yet to officially react to the development.