The US administration under President Donald Trump, which has unleashed a major crackdown on immigrants in recent weeks, dashed the hopes of aspiring immigrants on Thursday by suspending the Diversity Visa (DV) lottery.
Citing security concerns, the US also imposed travel restrictions on multiple countries, including several in Africa. The United States, where many dreamed of setting foot to change their lives forever, has introduced several anti-immigrant measures that have unsettled millions. Just last week, the US ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopians, which had been granted due to conflict in their home country.
This suspension of the DV program significantly limits opportunities for legal entry into the US.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that, at President Trump’s direction, she is pausing the DV lottery program because it was used by the suspect in the recent Brown University shooting.
Noem stated she has ordered the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediately pause the DV-1 program. She identified the suspect as a 48-year-old Portuguese national who entered the US in 2017 through the DV program and obtained a green card that same year. The suspect was previously a student at Brown University in 2000.
“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said. Last week, two students were killed and nine others were wounded in a mass shooting at Brown University. According to USCIS data, more than 50,000 immigrants enter the US annually through the DV program.
