US revokes visas held by South Sudanese passport holders

Apr 6

Diane Duenez Weekend Managing Editor

By Diane Duenez (Weekend Managing Editor)

The U.S. revoked visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. The move was in response to a lack of cooperation in accepting deported citizens by South Sudan’s transitional government.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the U.S. will also prevent further issuance of visas for South Sudanese passport holders until full cooperation is achieved.
The Biden administration had previously offered Temporary Protected Status for South Sudanese migrants due to violence in their country, with protections lasting until May 2025.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday, April 5, that the United States will revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders.

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“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them,” Rubio said in a statement. “South Sudan’s transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle.”

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In addition to revoking visas, Rubio said the U.S. will “prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.” Rubio added that the U.S. is prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.

Back in January, President Donald Trump made a similar threat to Colombia. He threatened to revoke visas and impose tariffs on the country’s exports because Colombia was refusing to accept U.S. military flights with Colombian deportees. Colombia quickly reversed its decision.

South Sudan’s ambassador to Britain, Nickson Deng, told The New York Times that his country’s government had yet to receive official communication from the U.S. government on the issue and would not comment further.

In 2023, the Biden administration offered protection from deportation for migrants from South Sudan through the Temporary Protected Status program due to violence in the country. Those protections run until May.