Overview
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she ordered USCIS to immediately pause the DV1 program at President Trump’s direction.
- Noem provided no timeline for the suspension and did not specify the legal mechanism used to halt processing.
- The diversity visa program allocates about 50,000–55,000 green cards annually, with nearly 20 million applicants and over 131,000 selections for 2025 including spouses, and winners undergo consular interviews and vetting.
- Immigration attorneys and legal observers expect court challenges and warn that thousands of applicants and lottery winners could be left in limbo.
- Officials say suspect Claudio Manuel Neves Valente first entered on a student visa in 2000, later obtained permanent residence via a 2017 diversity visa, and was found dead during the manhunt as investigations continue.