The United States’ Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme, popularly known as the green card lottery, has again been thrust into political controversy after President Donald Trump ordered its suspension following a deadly mass shooting involving an immigrant who entered the country through the scheme.
EKO HOT BLOG gathered that the decision, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, came after investigators revealed that Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the suspect in the Brown University and MIT shootings — a Portuguese national — had obtained U.S. permanent residency through the diversity visa programme.
EDITOR’S PICKS
“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,” Noem wrote on X.
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. This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.
In 2017, President Trump…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 19, 2025
The attack, which left multiple people dead and injured before the suspect took his own life, provided the immediate trigger for a move Trump has long advocated.
Trump has consistently opposed the lottery, arguing that it allows people to immigrate to the U.S. without sufficient emphasis on skills, security vetting, or national interest. His allies have framed the programme as a “random” pathway that undermines merit-based immigration, while critics accuse the administration of exploiting tragedy to push restrictive immigration policies.
While the White House says the suspension is a security-driven measure, NBC News reported that legal challenges are widely expected because the diversity visa programme was created by Congress and cannot be permanently scrapped without legislative action.
What is the green card lottery programme?
The Diversity Immigrant Visa Programme was established to broaden the sources of immigration into the United States. Each year, it makes up to 50,000 green cards available through a lottery system to applicants from countries that are considered underrepresented in U.S. immigration flows.
Applicants who are selected are not automatically granted entry. Winners must still meet education or work requirements, undergo security and background checks, and attend interviews at U.S. consulates before they can receive permanent resident status.
Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, reflecting the programme’s popularity, especially in parts of Africa and Asia where other legal migration pathways are limited. Supporters say it has helped diversify the immigrant population and offered life-changing opportunities to people who might otherwise have no route to legal migration.
Trump, however, has opposed the programme since his first term, repeatedly calling for its abolition and pushing instead for a more restrictive, skills-based immigration system.
How does this suspension affect Nigerians?
In practical terms, the suspension does not immediately affect most Nigerians, because Nigeria is currently not benefiting from the green card lottery programme.
Nigeria has been excluded from the diversity visa scheme since 2022, after more than 50,000 Nigerians immigrated to the United States within a five-year period, crossing the threshold that disqualifies countries deemed to have high levels of recent migration. Under U.S. law, only countries with relatively low immigration numbers are eligible for the lottery.
As a result, Nigerians have not been able to apply for the green card lottery in recent years, except in rare cases where eligibility is derived through a spouse’s or parent’s country of birth. Most Nigerians who obtain U.S. permanent residency now do so through family-sponsored visas, employment-based pathways, or other immigration categories.
That said, the suspension still matters symbolically and politically. It signals a broader tightening of U.S. immigration policy under Trump, at a time when Nigerians are already facing stricter visa conditions and increased scrutiny. For many African countries that remain eligible for the lottery, the pause removes one of the few accessible legal migration routes to the U.S. and for Nigeria, it underscores how far the door has already narrowed.
FURTHER READING
The visa programme’s suspension comes only days after Trump imposed a partial restriction on travel from Nigeria.
Philip Ibitoye is a Special Correspondent with EKO HOT BLOG. Click here to find daily analysis and critical insight on trending issues in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria.
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