In a decisive move to hold the South Sudanese government accountable, the United States revoked all visas for South Sudanese nationals. It barred the issuance of any future visas until the government accepts the deportation of its citizens who have been ordered to leave the U.S. This bold action sends a clear message that America will not tolerate the lack of cooperation from foreign governments when it comes to the Trump administration’s deportations.
On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders would be revoked after the African nation refused to accept its nationals expelled from the U.S. Future visas will also not be issued, effective immediately.
Rubio accused the government in Juba of "taking advantage of the United States," adding that "every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country...seeks to remove them.”
I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately, due to the failure of South Sudan's transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 5, 2025
He said that the U.S. would review the revocations in the future if the country decides to cooperate.
“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States,” a statement from the State Department read.
Concerns are growing that South Sudan could be on the brink of reigniting the civil war that claimed 400,000 lives between 2013 and 2018. In March, the State Department took swift action, ordering all non-essential personnel to leave Juba as violence escalated. Under the Biden administration, South Sudanese nationals were granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation set to expire on May 3, 2025. In 2023, roughly 133 South Sudanese in America were under the TPS program, with another 140 eligible to apply. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of over 300,000 individuals currently benefiting from this protection.
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