South Sudan has bowed to pressure from the United States after the latter revoked visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders with immediate effect.
In a statement on Saturday, April 5, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision, citing South Sudan’s refusal to accept the return of its citizens repatriated from the United States.
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According to South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the decision followed the country’s denial of entry to an individual deported from the U.S. at Juba International Airport on April 5 and 6, 2025.
Following Secretary Rubio’s announcement, the South Sudanese ministry, in a statement released on Tuesday, April 8, said the government had decided to allow the deported individual to enter the country.
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“In the spirit of the existing friendly relations between South Sudan and the United States, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan has decided to grant Mr. Makula Kintu permission to enter the country,” read part of the statement.
“In light of this decision, the government has instructed the relevant authorities at Juba International Airport to facilitate Mr. Kintu’s arrival as early as tomorrow.”
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The government further stated that it remains committed to facilitating the return of verified South Sudanese nationals scheduled for deportation from the United States.
In the U.S, South Sudanese nationals were previously granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which had been due to expire by 3 May. TPS allows them to remain in the US for a set period of time.
The US revokes visas for all passport holders from South Sudan
While announcing that the United States had revoked visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders with immediate effect, Secretary Rubio said the U.S would also block any arriving citizens of the East African nation at all ports of entry.
“I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately, due to the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner,” said Rubio.
“It is time for the Transitional Government of South Sudan to stop taking advantage of the United States. Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.”
He further added that the U.S “would be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”
Also Read: US Revokes Visas for All South Sudanese Passport Holders with Immediate Effect
Since returning to office, the President Donald Trump administration has clashed with international governments over the deportations of their nationals from the US
Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants
The Head of State in the executive orders tasked the military with aiding border security, issued a broad ban on asylum, and took steps to restrict citizenship for children born on U.S soil.
While declaring illegal immigration a national emergency, he further ordered the Pentagon to provide support for border wall construction, detention space, and migrant transportation and empowered the Secretary of Defense to send troops to the border as needed.
Following the signing of the orders, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials launched a crackdown on illegal immigrants.
In February, ICE had revealed that it was targeting at least 1,445,549 noncitizens from 187 countries, including 136 South Sudanese nationals for deportation.
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