The Brown University shooter used a “diversity” visa lottery to enter the United States.

Let that sink in.

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente came to America in 2017 through a program that randomly selects 55,000 immigrants annually from countries with “low rates of immigration” to the U.S. He got a green card. He allegedly killed a Brown University student and an MIT physics professor.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday night that the program is now paused.

“This heinous individual should never have been allowed in our country,” Noem said. “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.”

Disastrous is right. And the details make it even worse.

The “Random and Blind” System That Decides Who Becomes American

Here’s how the Diversity Visa program works, according to the State Department:

It’s “random and blind to the number of family members who might immigrate with the selectee.”

Random. Blind. That’s how we choose who gets to become American.

Not based on skills. Not based on what they can contribute. Not based on careful vetting. Just luck of the draw from a pool of millions.

And how big is that pool?

The 2026 lottery drew from 20,822,624 applicants. Over 20 million people from 170+ countries, hoping to win the immigration jackpot.

Look at the Top Countries

The countries sending the most applicants to the diversity visa lottery tell you everything:

1. Egypt
2. Russia
3. Algeria
4. Ukraine
5. Sudan
6. Afghanistan
7. Iran
8. Kenya
9. Nepal
10. Morocco

Also breaking 3,000 applicants: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.

Notice anything? These are countries with significant terrorism concerns, political instability, or active hostility toward the United States.

Afghanistan. Iran. Sudan. These aren’t places we should be randomly importing people from. These are places that require careful, individual vetting — not a lottery.

Trump Tried to End This in 2017

This isn’t the first time the diversity visa has gotten Americans killed.

Noem reminded everyone of what happened in 2017:

“In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people.”

Sayfullo Saipov drove a truck down a Manhattan bike path, killing eight people and injuring eleven. He came to America through the diversity visa lottery from Uzbekistan.

Trump called for ending the program then. Democrats blocked it. Eight years later, another diversity visa recipient has allegedly committed murder.

How many more people have to die before this program gets permanently abolished?

“Random and Blind” to Reality

The State Department’s description of the program is unintentionally damning.

“Random and blind to the number of family members who might immigrate with the selectee.”

So not only is the selection random, but the government doesn’t even account for chain migration. Win the lottery, and your entire extended family can follow.

This is immigration policy designed by people who don’t believe borders should exist. Who think “diversity” is such an unqualified good that we should randomly import people with no consideration of national interest.

The result? Terrorists and murderers slip through because nobody’s actually vetting — they’re just drawing names from a hat.

Valente Came in 2017 — Killed in 2025

Claudio Manuel Neves Valente entered the United States through the diversity lottery in 2017. He received a green card.

Eight years later, he allegedly murdered a Brown University student and an MIT physics professor.

What was he doing for those eight years? What warning signs were missed? What vetting occurred after he arrived?

We don’t know yet. What we know is that a random lottery selected him for American residency, and two people are dead because of it.

The system didn’t fail. The system worked exactly as designed. It randomly selected someone who shouldn’t have been here. That’s what random means.

55,000 Visas Per Year

Every year, the diversity visa lottery imports 55,000 people selected at random from countries that don’t send many immigrants to America.

Think about that framing. Countries with “low rates of immigration” to the U.S. qualify. That means countries Americans specifically don’t come from — often for very good reasons.

Low immigration from a country might mean:

• Geographic distance
• Cultural incompatibility
• Security concerns
• Hostile relations with America
• Failed state status

The diversity visa program treats all of those as features, not bugs. We specifically target people from places that don’t naturally send immigrants here.

And then we’re surprised when some of them turn out to be dangerous?

The Pause Is Good — Abolition Is Better

Noem announced a pause. That’s a start.

But pausing isn’t enough. This program needs to be permanently abolished.

Every year it continues, 55,000 people are randomly selected for American residency without regard to skills, compatibility, or security. Some small percentage will be terrorists, criminals, or otherwise dangerous.

The lottery guarantees that we’ll keep importing threats. It’s just a matter of which year’s lottery produces the next murderer.

Random selection is not immigration policy. It’s Russian roulette with American lives.

“Disastrous Program”

Noem called it what it is.

“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.”

Disastrous. Not “flawed.” Not “in need of reform.” Disastrous.

The program’s entire premise is wrong. Immigration should serve American interests. It should bring people who will contribute, assimilate, and strengthen the nation.

Random selection from countries hostile to America serves no one except immigration lawyers and diversity ideologues.

Two people are dead in Massachusetts. The alleged killer came here through a lottery. The program is disastrous by design.

Pause it. Then end it. Permanently.

20 Million Applicants — 55,000 Winners

Here’s the final reality check.

Over 20 million people applied for the 2026 diversity visa lottery. Only 55,000 will be selected.

That’s a 0.26% chance of winning. Worse odds than most gambling.

And yet millions of people from countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Sudan enter this lottery every year, hoping America will randomly select them for residency.

What does that tell you about who’s applying? People desperate to leave failed states and hostile regimes. Some are genuinely seeking better lives. Others are seeking opportunities to do harm.

Random selection can’t tell the difference. That’s why it needs to end.

The Brown University shooting just gave Trump the ammunition to finish what he started in 2017. This time, there shouldn’t be any Democrats left standing in the way.