WASHINGTON — In a significant policy move, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that applications for the diversity visa program would be suspended. This decision follows the tragic shootings at Brown University that resulted in the deaths of two students and the shooting of an MIT professor. The suspect in these incidents, Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, was reported to have obtained a green card through the diversity visa program in 2017. Noem stated on social media that she was directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the DV1 program to prevent any further harm to Americans. The suspect, a Portuguese national, was found deceased in a New Hampshire storage unit five days after the Brown University shooting, which also injured nine others. The investigation revealed a link between Neves Valente and the subsequent shooting of the MIT professor, who succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. Neves Valente, who attended Brown University in the early 2000s, had a history that raised concerns following the violent events. The diversity visa program, also referred to as DV1, provides up to 50,000 immigrant visas each year through a lottery system aimed at selecting individuals from countries with low immigration rates to the United States. Most applicants for the lottery reside outside the U.S. and are processed by the State Department, while those already in the country are processed by USCIS. The program saw over 14 million applicants in 2021, the latest year for which data is available from the State Department. Noem's announcement aligns with previous efforts by the Trump administration to limit legal immigration in response to violent incidents linked to individuals who immigrated through various programs. The administration had previously paused asylum applications after an Afghan national granted asylum was charged with a shooting incident that left one National Guard member dead and another injured in Washington, D.C. This latest action reflects ongoing discussions and policies regarding immigration and national security.