Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the United States is revoking all visas held by South Sudanese nationals and halting the issuance of new ones, effective immediately.
The move comes amid ongoing frustrations over what Rubio called “the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner,” according to a statement he posted on X.
The U.S. Department of State also released a statement on Saturday, saying the action was necessary due to the refusal of South Sudan’s leadership to cooperate in accepting deported citizens.
“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States,” the statement read.
“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.”
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…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) April 5, 2025
According to the department, the U.S. “will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”
The statement added that it is time for the transitional government of South Sudan to “stop taking advantage” of the United States. READ MORE – SORUCE