Trump Administration Suspends Diversity Visa Program After Security Incident

Washington, D.C. — In a major change to U.S. immigration policy, the Trump administration announced on December 18–19, 2025, that it would suspend the Diversity Immigrant Visa (DV) lottery program following a recent campus shooting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to halt all DV visa processing at President Trump’s direction. The decision immediately stops new green card interviews and naturalization ceremonies tied to the lottery and effectively freezes the issuance of DV-1 visas while the program undergoes a federal review.

Administration officials described the suspension as a national security measure. President Trump, who has long criticized the lottery system, reiterated his position that the program is insufficiently merit-based and poses potential security risks.