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The U.S. government has revoked all visas previously issued to South Sudanese passport holders, effective immediately, according to an announcement made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday, April 5.
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Rubio stated the decision was prompted by South Sudan’s transitional government’s refusal to accept the return of its citizens who had been deported from the United States. He added that the U.S. will now deny entry to South Sudanese nationals at all ports of entry.
“I am revoking all visas held by South Sudanese citizens and halting any new issuances, effective immediately, due to the government’s failure to accept their repatriated citizens,” Rubio said. “South Sudan must stop exploiting the United States. Every nation has a responsibility to receive its nationals when deported.”
Rubio also noted that these measures may be reviewed if South Sudan fully cooperates with repatriation efforts.
Previously, many South Sudanese nationals residing in the U.S. had been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), allowing them to legally stay in the country until the protection was set to expire on May 3.
This announcement follows the U.S. government’s decision last month to evacuate non-emergency personnel from its embassy in South Sudan due to escalating violence and fears of renewed civil conflict.
On March 9, the U.S. State Department reported widespread violent crime across the country—including in the capital, Juba—such as armed assaults, kidnappings, and robberies. It also noted the presence of armed clashes among various political and ethnic factions.
The visa revocation comes amid broader immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, which has been aggressively pursuing the deportation of undocumented immigrants and those with criminal records.
President Trump has previously issued executive orders aimed at tightening immigration, including expanding border security, limiting asylum access, and restricting birthright citizenship. The Department of Homeland Security recently reported over 32,000 immigration enforcement arrests during the early weeks of Trump’s term, with nearly half involving individuals with prior convictions.
As of February, ICE listed 136 South Sudanese nationals among over 1.4 million noncitizens targeted for removal. Other African countries with significant numbers on the deportation list included Somalia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and others.
