Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the United States will no longer issue visas to South Sudanese nationals and will revoke existing ones, citing South Sudan’s failure to cooperate with the return of its deported citizens. The policy takes effect immediately.
Rubio’s announcement, posted on X (formerly Twitter), places full responsibility on South Sudan’s transitional government, which he accused of refusing to accept its own citizens when ordered removed from the U.S. “Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States,” the State Department added in a formal statement.
“It’s time for the transitional government of South Sudan to stop taking advantage of the American people,” the department said. The State Department also confirmed the visa restrictions will remain in place until South Sudan shows full cooperation.
This decision aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to restore law and order to U.S. immigration policy. Earlier this year, the administration ended temporary protected status (TPS) for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan nationals, revoking legal protections for those who had remained in the country for years under the Obama and Biden administrations. DHS estimates more than 300,000 people will be impacted.
According to the New York Post, the Trump administration has deported over 100,000 illegal migrants since returning to office, fulfilling a central campaign promise to prioritize American sovereignty and border security.
The U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, which had provided consular services to South Sudanese citizens, has remained closed since April 2023, further complicating visa and immigration matters in the region.
Rubio’s move underscores a renewed focus on enforcing immigration laws and holding foreign governments accountable—a sharp contrast to the lax enforcement of previous administrations.
