On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. is revoking all visas for South Sudanese passport holders. This move is a response to South Sudan’s failure to accept its citizens who are being expelled from the U.S.
Rubio stated that the State Department is taking actions to stop further visa issuance. He criticized the transitional government in Juba for not cooperating, highlighting that countries must accept the return of their citizens when other nations seek to deport them. He added that the U.S. is willing to reconsider these actions if South Sudan complies.
South Sudan is the world’s newest nation and also one of its most impoverished. The country is currently experiencing political unrest, raising fears of renewed civil war. From 2013 to 2018, a conflict there resulted in the deaths of around 400,000 people. Recent actions, including the detention of Vice President Riek Machar, have intensified these fears, with reports suggesting that the country might be on the brink of another violent outbreak.
Despite the tough stance on visas, many South Sudanese in the U.S. are protected under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which was established to shield citizens from countries experiencing crisis, such as war or natural disasters. Currently, about 133 South Sudanese individuals hold TPS, with another 140 eligible.
The Biden administration had renewed TPS for South Sudanese individuals, but the Trump administration is working to overturn various TPS designations. In January, for example, over 600,000 Venezuelans lost their protection status. This raised concerns, especially when a federal judge recently challenged the administration’s claims that many Venezuelans were criminals.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of March 2024, around 1.2 million people in the U.S. are either eligible for or receiving TPS. Venezuelans make up a significant portion of this group. The Trump administration’s recent actions against South Sudan come amid a surge of African migrants attempting to enter the U.S. through its southern border as they seek safer routes.
This situation reflects a broader trend of immigration policies that impact vulnerable populations amidst ongoing crises.
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