The United States has decided to cancel all visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement, saying the decision was made because South Sudan is refusing to take back its citizens who have been deported from the US.
Rubio also said that any South Sudanese trying to enter the US will now be blocked at the border.
He blamed the South Sudanese transitional government for not accepting their returning citizens quickly, which he called unfair. Rubio added, “Every country must take back its citizens when asked by another country.”
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This move is part of former President Donald Trump’s immigration policy, which focuses on deporting people who are staying in the US illegally.
At the same time, there are growing concerns that South Sudan could fall back into civil war. The US recently told all its non-emergency staff to leave South Sudan because of rising violence. A peace deal was signed in 2018, but many parts of it, like holding elections and forming a united army, have not been completed.
South Sudanese people living in the US had been allowed to stay under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but that protection is set to end on May 3.
South Sudan became independent in 2011, but a power struggle in 2013 led to a civil war that killed over 400,000 people. Although a peace deal helped stop the fighting, violence between local groups still happens in some areas.
The US has had similar issues with other countries too. For example, in January, Colombia refused to let US planes carrying deported migrants land. But after pressure from Trump, the Colombian president allowed the flights.
This situation highlights ongoing tensions between the US and other nations over immigration and deportation policies.
