The U.S. has revoked visas for all South Sudanese passport holders, and no new visas will be issued until South Sudanโs government begins accepting repatriated citizens promptly.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement on Saturday, citing South Sudanโs failure to cooperate with U.S. deportation efforts.
โI 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 citizens in a timely manner,โ Rubio posted on X.
Rubio, in a statement on Saturday, added that the US will also block any arriving citizens of South Sudan, the world’s newest country, at US ports of entry.
Rubio stressed that enforcing immigration laws is critical to U.S. security, and the U.S. cannot allow delays in the return of its citizens by other nations. The U.S. Department of State has warned South Sudanโs transitional government to stop exploiting the U.S. system.
“It is time for the Transitional Government of South Sudan to stop taking advantage of the United States,” said Rubio.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would revoke the statuses of more than 300,000 nationals protected by Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded to media requests for comment, and the United Nations in South Sudan has declined to offer any response.
