Noem said the decision was taken after authorities determined that the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, had obtained US permanent residency through the program, according to AP.
The order pauses one of the United States’ most visible legal immigration pathways, which grants visas by lottery to applicants from countries with low rates of US immigration.
Valente, a Portuguese national, first entered the United States on a student visa in 2000 and became a lawful permanent resident in 2017, according to Providence, Rhode Island, police chief Oscar Perez.
Perez said Valente was found dead on Thursday evening from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. “This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said on X.
Meanwhile, Trump has for years criticized the diversity visa lottery, arguing it poses security risks despite existing screening procedures.
Noem’s announcement marks the latest instance in which the administration has linked a violent incident to broader immigration policy changes.
In a related development, after an Afghan national was identified as the gunman in a fatal attack on National Guard members in November, Trump’s administration imposed sweeping restrictions on immigration from Afghanistan and several other countries.
The diversity visa, known as the DV-1 program, makes up to 50,000 green cards available annually through a random lottery.
It is aimed at applicants from countries that are under-represented in the US immigrant population, many of them in Africa.
Nearly 20 million people applied for the 2025 lottery, with more than 131,000 selected when including spouses of winners.
After selection, applicants must complete background checks and interviews before receiving approval to enter the United States.
Portuguese citizens received just 38 winning slots in the most recent lottery.
Separately, US officials note that lottery winners are subject to the same eligibility requirements and vetting procedures as other green card applicants.
MA/PR
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