In the wake of the Trump Administration’s tightening immigration policy and increased deportations, the administration has revoked all South Sudanese visas. The administration has also stated that they will not grant any more citizens of South Sudan entry into the United States. The administration cited that they had attempted to work with the South Sudanese government, but that they “had been rebuffed.”

The Department of State has released a statement claiming that the country of South Sudan has been “taking advantage of the United States.” They cited failure to engage with the United States in order to return Sudanese citizens. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States would only be prepared to issue new visas, or reinstate old ones, “when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”

Because the situation in South Sudan is ongoing, it is irresponsible for the United States to force these migrants home, and especially naive to expect the Sudanese government to go out of their way to bring their citizens back, when there is still violence and instability risking the lives of thousands of Sudanese people. 

South Sudan has been in crisis for decades, with civil war erupting in 2013 and lasting until 2020, when a unity government was formed. However, the dire situation in Sudan is far from over, with multiple humanitarian crises still occurring in the country. Farmlands have been destroyed due to heavy rainfall exacerbated by climate change, harming many people’s homes and livelihoods. Additionally, there is severe food insecurity in the countries, with millions of people living in hunger. The country was supposed to hold free and fair elections in 2024, but these were postponed until 2026. In 2024, the country ranked a score of 1/100 on the Freedom House scale, one of the lowest of all nations.

Moving forward, the United States needs to reinstate South Sudanese visas and help South Sudanese citizens immigrate to the United States when necessary in order to protect human beings and help them to a safer life. If the United States is concerned about how long the Sudanese citizens are staying, they should be more involved in trying to assist South Sudan in fixing the country’s hunger and instability problems, as well as achieving long-term peace, which currently does not look stable by any means.