Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the United States will immediately revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and halt the issuance of new ones.
Rubio cited the move as a response to “the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner,” according to a statement posted on X.
In a separate statement, the U.S. Department of State said it is time for South Sudan’s transitional government to “stop 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,” according to the statement. “Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them. ”
The department said it “will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”
The East African nation is teetering on the brink of civil war amid intensifying armed conflict, widespread displacement, and a worsening food crisis, Fox News reported on Saturday.
During the Democratic Biden-Harris administration, policies put in place allowed millions of people into the country from all over the world, most often without proper vetting. And Democrats largely remain opposed to the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts.
Earlier, on April 22, 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, suspended operations, including visa processing, passport services, and other routine consular functions. This latest move follows the Trump administration’s February decision to end deportation protections for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans living in the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 300,000 foreign nationals.