The Trump administration has announced an immediate suspension of the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV) after recent violent attacks, including the Brown University shooting and the killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Secretary Noem said:
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country. 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.”
Background
The DV lottery program provides up to 50,000 immigrant visas annually to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.
President Trump previously sought to end the program following the 2017 NYC truck attack, where an ISIS-linked terrorist who entered under DV1 killed eight people.
Related Policy Actions
Earlier this month, the administration tightened immigration restrictions on several developing nations following an incident in which an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers in Washington.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
The latest suspension underscores the administration’s ongoing efforts to tighten immigration policies in response to security concerns.
The pause in the DV program will impact thousands of applicants worldwide. USCIS is expected to issue further guidance on pending applications and future lottery draws.
Erickson Immigration Group will continue monitoring developments and sharing updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or if you have case-specific questions.