The US government has revoked visas issued to all citizens of South Sudan. This was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“I am taking measures to revoke all visas issued to holders of South Sudanese passports and to restrict the issuance of new visas to prevent their entry into the US. This decision takes effect immediately, as the transitional government of South Sudan has shown it is unable to timely accept its citizens,” Rubio wrote on his social media page.
The US Secretary of State stated that these actions would be reconsidered after South Sudan is ready to fully cooperate.
The revocation of visas for South Sudanese is the first measure applied by the new administration of Donald Trump against all citizens of a specific country. In March, US officials announced preparations to expel 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. However, these measures were intended to apply only to individuals who entered the country under specific programs.
During Joe Biden's administration, the US government granted South Sudanese citizens "Temporary Protected Status" (TPS) until May 3, 2025. In September 2023, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that 133 citizens held such status, and another 140 South Sudanese in the United States could be eligible for TPS.
The Republic of South Sudan seceded from Sudan in 2011. The country's fragmentation was caused by religious and ethnic conflicts. A civil war began in South Sudan in 2013, resulting in famine and epidemics in the country. Today, South Sudan is considered one of the poorest countries on the planet, with thousands of its citizens having become refugees.
