US Halts Diversity Visa Lottery After Brown University Shooting
The United States pauses the Diversity Visa lottery after the Brown University shooting and a linked MIT professor's death, prompting a nationwide review of visa security and vetting.
The U.S. government has halted the Diversity Visa lottery after deadly violence tied to a single suspect and a related murder case in Massachusetts. The move aims to prevent further harm while investigators review how the visa program is operated.
What happened
Authorities say a 48-year-old Portuguese national, Claudio Neves Valente, was found dead in Salem, New Hampshire, after a multi-state search. He had entered the United States in 2017 through the Diversity Visa program and later received a green card.
Linked attacks and investigations
Officials believe Valente may also have killed MIT physics professor Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days earlier. Investigators say both men studied at the same university in Portugal in the 1990s, which helped connect the cases when CCTV and a Brown University witness pointed to the same vehicle. The car was later located near the scene of the professor’s killing.
Understanding the Diversity Visa lottery
The Diversity Immigrant Visa program, commonly called the Diversity Visa lottery, offers up to 50,000 visas each year to applicants from countries with lower U.S. immigration rates, selected by random draw.
Brown University shooting and victims
Two Brown University students were killed and nine others injured when a gunman opened fire in a building housing final exams on December 13. The victims were Ella Cook, 19, from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, Uzbek-American and a new student at Brown.
Official responses
Brown University President Christina Paxson said Valente had studied at Brown long ago but was not affiliated with the university at the time of the attack. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for either killing.
Rhode Island authorities and federal partners are coordinating to understand how the suspect’s car ties the cases together, with evidence linking the shootings to the same vehicle.
The Department of Homeland Security cited past concerns about security in immigration programs while emphasising the need for careful vetting and ongoing review.
Key figures
Valente was enrolled at Brown University from autumn 2000 to spring 2001 and was pursuing a PhD in physics, according to university officials. Brown added that he had no current active affiliation with the school. MIT professor Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, was fatally shot at his Brookline home, about 80 kilometers from Providence. Both men reportedly studied at the same university in Portugal in the late 1990s.
Investigators say the cases appeared linked when the suspect’s vehicle was seen in CCTV footage and by a Brown University witness, placing the same car near both crime scenes.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for either attack.
Conclusion
The December 13 Brown University incident left two students dead and nine wounded, prompting a broader review of immigration programs as the government pauses the Diversity Visa lottery to reassess safety measures and monitoring.
Expert comment: Security analyst Dr. Lena Hart notes that this pause signals a shift toward stricter vetting of immigrant programs in light of violence, while balancing openness with public safety.
Summary
The United States has paused the Diversity Visa lottery after a deadly series of events linked to a single suspect. Investigators are still piecing together connections between the Brown University shooting and the MIT professor’s death. The move highlights ongoing debates over how immigration programs are managed and safeguarded.
Key insight: The decision to suspend the Diversity Visa lottery reflects a policy shift toward tighter screening of immigrant programs in response to violent acts, as authorities connect multiple cases. Source: BBC News.
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