WASHINGTON – The United States has revoked all visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders, citing the country’s refusal to take back its deported nationals.
The move, announced Saturday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is part of the Biden administration’s firm stance on immigration enforcement. Rubio emphasized that South Sudan has failed to uphold its obligation to accept the timely repatriation of its citizens removed from the US.
“Effective immediately, we are revoking all existing visas and halting new visa issuance for South Sudanese passport holders,” Rubio stated. He warned that the policy will only be reversed once South Sudan fully complies with repatriation requirements.
He further criticized the South Sudanese government, saying it needs to “stop taking advantage of the United States.”
South Sudan’s embassy in Washington has not yet responded to the announcement.
The decision comes amid rising tensions in South Sudan, where fears of renewed civil conflict are mounting. African Union mediators have arrived in Juba for emergency peace talks following the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, accused by the government of plotting a new rebellion.
Machar’s confinement followed clashes between government forces and the White Army militia in the Upper Nile region. Although Machar led forces allied with the militia during the 2013–2018 civil war, his current links are denied.
The previous war, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, was largely fought along ethnic lines—between President Salva Kiir’s Dinka-backed forces and Machar’s Nuer-led supporters.