Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem just dropped a bombshell by pausing the Diversity Visa Program, a move that’s reigniting fiery debates over immigration policy.

Late Thursday night, Noem announced the halt, linking the program to the horrific Brown University shooting and a subsequent murder of an MIT professor, both allegedly committed by suspect Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, according to Newsmax. 

Let’s rewind to the tragedy’s roots: Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, entered the U.S. in 2017 through the diversity lottery visa system and secured a green card.

Brown University Attack Sparks Outrage

The Brown University attack left two students dead and nine others wounded, a gut-wrenching loss that has communities reeling.

Authorities later connected Valente to the killing of an MIT professor in suburban Boston, compounding the horror of this violent spree.

Valente’s story ended when he was found dead by suicide in a New Hampshire storage unit, but the questions about how he got here linger like a bad aftertaste.

Diversity Visa Under Fire Again

Noem didn’t mince words, stating on X that Valente “entered the United States through the diversity lottery immigrant visa program (DV1) in 2017 and was granted a green card,” adding, “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country.”

That’s a sentiment many on the right share—how does a random lottery system keep us safe when it can let in someone capable of such devastation?

Acting on President Donald Trump’s directive, Noem ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to stop processing diversity visa cases, a decision she framed as protecting American lives.

Noem’s Bold Move for Public Safety

She doubled down, directing the halt “to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program,” a statement that hits hard after such tragic losses (via X).

Critics of the program, including Trump himself, have long argued this lottery undermines a merit-based approach and opens security loopholes—exhibit A being the 2017 New York City attack by an ISIS-linked individual who also entered via this visa.

Supporters, however, claim the program builds goodwill abroad and boosts the economy, pointing to screening processes as a safeguard, though one wonders if those checks are enough after this catastrophe.

Legal Questions and Political Ping-Pong

Now, here’s the rub: legal experts question whether the Department of Homeland Security even has the authority to broadly suspend a program enshrined in federal law, especially since the State Department typically manages most visas.

Trump paused the program in 2020 during the COVID-19 crisis, only for it to be revived by the Biden administration in 2021, showing how immigration policy often becomes a political tennis match.

Conservatives argue this back-and-forth proves Congress needs to scrap the lottery for a skills-focused system that prioritizes security over chance—a fair point when random draws lead to such heartbreaking outcomes.