US to cancel South Sudanese visas, block arrivals

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has slammed one country for not showing “respect” to the US’ migration blitz.

The US government says it will revoke all visas held by passport holders of South Sudan after complaining the African nation was not accepting deportees from its migrant blitz.

It means South Sudanese people in America could be sent home, while new arrivals would be blocked, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

This is the first such measure singling out of all passport holders from a particular country since Donald Trump was re-elected, having campaigned on an anti-immigration platform.

Washington is revoking all visas for South Sudanese passport holders and blocking new arrivals. Picture: Albert Gonzalez Farran/AFP

In a statement, Mr Rubio accused the transitional government of South Sudan of “taking advantage of the United States”.

“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States.

“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.

“As South Sudan’s transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle, effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.

“We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”

Melania Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio with International Women of Courage Award recipient Zabib Musa Loro Bakhit of South Sudan just a few days ago. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP

The world’s newest country and also one of the poorest, South Sudan is currently prey to tensions between political leaders.

Some observers fear a renewal of the civil war that killed 400,000 people between 2013 and 2018.

South Sudanese nationals had been granted “temporary protected status” (TPS) by the administration of Mr Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, with the designation set to expire on May 3, 2025.

The US grants TPS, which shields people against deportation, to foreign citizens who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters or other “extraordinary” conditions.

There were about 133 South Sudanese in the United States under the TPS program, with another 140 eligible to apply, the Department of Homeland Security said in September 2023.

US President Donald Trump has been unapologetic in his stance on migrants. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

But the Trump White House has begun overturning TPS designations, revoking protection in January from more than 600,000 Venezuelans.

A federal judge this week put that decision on hold after calling into question the government’s claims that the majority of Venezuelans in the US were criminals.

According to the Pew Research Center, as of March 2024 there were 1.2 million people eligible for or receiving TPS in the United States, with Venezuelans making up the largest group.

The Trump administration’s singling out of South Sudan also comes after growing numbers of Africans attempted to enter the US via its southern border – an alternative to risky routes into Europe.