US revokes all South Sudan visas, bars future issuance until deportees accepted

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday announced the U.S. will revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders will be revoked, and no others will be issued, effective immediately.

Rubio attributed the change 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.

The U.S. Department of State on Saturday wrote in a statement that it is time for the Transitional Government of South Sudan to “stop taking advantage” of the U.S.

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio and South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit. (Getty Images)

“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.”

An army soldier walks in front of the Republican Palace in Khartoum, Sudan, after it was taken over by Sudan’s army, March 21.  (AP Photo)

The East African country is currently on the verge of civil war, with escalating armed conflict, mass displacement and severe food insecurity.

The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum suspended its operations, to include visa, passport, and other routine consular services, on April 22, 2023.

The move comes after the Trump administration in February ended a deportation shield for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards his plane at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would revoke the statuses of more than 300,000 nationals protected by Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

The Trump administration has deported more than 100,000 illegal migrants since taking office, according to a New York Post report citing a DHS official.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Republic of South Sudan did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

United Nations South Sudan declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.