The United States is revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and halting the issuance of new visas, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. This action comes after South Sudan’s failure to accept the return of its nationals who were expelled from the US.
Rubio criticized the transitional government in Juba, accusing it of taking advantage of the United States. He emphasized that every country must accept the return of its citizens when another nation seeks their removal. “We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan fully cooperates,” Rubio said in a statement.
This measure is the first of its kind since Donald Trump took office in January 2025, following his campaign focused on reducing immigration.
South Sudan, the world’s newest and one of its poorest countries, is currently facing internal political turmoil. Some observers fear the potential for renewed civil war, which previously claimed 400,000 lives between 2013 and 2018.
Under the administration of Joe Biden, South Sudanese nationals were granted “Temporary Protected Status” (TPS), which shields them from deportation due to unsafe conditions in their home country. However, this protection is set to expire on May 3, 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security reported that approximately 133 South Sudanese individuals were in the US under TPS, with an additional 140 eligible to apply as of September 2023. The Trump administration has already moved to revoke TPS protections for other nationalities, including over 600,000 Venezuelans.
The US government’s recent action follows a rising trend of African migrants attempting to enter the US via the southern border, viewing it as a safer alternative to dangerous routes into Europe.
