Trump Administration Moves to Freeze Diversity Visa Lottery

The Trump administration is moving to tighten controls on the U.S. diversity visa lottery, putting the decades-old program under fresh scrutiny after a suspect linked to a deadly attack was found to have entered the country through it.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the suspect, a Portuguese national, gained permanent residency through the diversity visa lottery and announced that processing of new applications would be paused. According to Noem, the move is meant to review the program and prevent what she called future risks to Americans.

What’s happening now

• Processing of diversity visa applications is on hold

• Officials say the program poses a potential public safety concern

• No clear timeline has been shared for when or if it will resume

The immediate impact remains uncertain since most applicants apply from outside the U.S. through the State Department. Officials have said they are reviewing “necessary measures” but offered few details.

Since returning to office in January, President Trump has aggressively pushed to reduce both legal and illegal immigration. Following other recent violent incidents involving foreign nationals, his administration has already halted certain immigration programs, expanded travel bans, and ordered reviews of previously approved cases.

Critics argue the administration is using isolated incidents to justify broader immigration rollbacks. Jorge Loweree of the American Immigration Council said the diversity visa program is being targeted as part of a long-standing effort to limit immigration from certain countries, not because of one individual case.

The diversity visa lottery, created by Congress in 1990, grants up to 55,000 visas each year to people from countries with historically low U.S. immigration rates. Winners can become permanent residents and later apply for citizenship. Trump has opposed the program for years, previously calling for its elimination during his first term after a separate attack in New York City.

Despite the current controversy, data shows that only a small number of Portuguese nationals—just 118 over the past decade—have entered the U.S. through the program. In fiscal year 2024, most recipients came from countries such as Nepal, Kenya, Egypt, Uzbekistan, and Russia, with African nations making up about 41% of the total.

Even before the latest incident, the program was already facing delays. Registration for fiscal year 2027, which normally opens in October, had been postponed indefinitely due to planned changes, according to the State Department.

For now, the future of the diversity visa lottery remains uncertain as the administration weighs security concerns against a program that has shaped U.S. immigration for more than 30 years.