By Bianca M. Capraru
On April 5th, the Trump Administration announced plans to revoke all US visas held by South Sudanese nationals, including student visas, foreign worker visas, and “temporary protected status” (TPS). The TPS was granted to South Sudanese nationals by former US President Joe Biden. It is a form of government-granted protection that shields immigrants who cannot safely return to their home country due to conditions that prevent the country from adequately managing their return.
There is no doubt that Trump’s long-term immigration campaign lies at the crux of this decision – yet, the revocation of the south-sudanese nationals’ TPS signals an alarming escalation to such anti-immigration efforts. The pressing question is why the Trump administration has suddenly turned its focus on South Sudanese nationals, revoking their student visas and TPS protections.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the South Sudanese government of “taking advantage of the United States” after it refused to accept the return of an individual assumed to be South Sudanese. Officials asserted that he was Congolese after his arrival in the capital, Juba.
While the country is understood to have received several other returnees, this particular individual was not among them.
“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them,” said Rubio.
The fear of South Sudan’s descent into another civil war remains one of the motivations for this decision. On April 21st, a South Sudanese militia claimed to have recaptured the key town of Nasir in the Upper Nile region, which had fallen to the ethnic Nuer army in March.
The operation resulted in the arrest of former Vice President Riek Machar, who is widely regarded as a key figure linked to the Nuer forces. Since then, political tensions between the South Sudanese government and the Nuer “White Army” have been escalating. The conflict in Nasir threatens a 2018 Peace Deal between Machar and South Sudan’s current president, Salva Kiir.
That deal, brokered under international pressure after years of ethnic violence, was considered a risky but critical step toward national healing. It entailed a division of power between Kiir’s government and Machar’s rebel groups. Now, with Machar reportedly detained and factions of the Nuer White Army advancing on strategic towns, the collapse of the peace agreement could reignite full-scale conflict.
If that happens, hundreds of thousands of civilians could again be displaced—a humanitarian crisis reminiscent of South Sudan’s devastating 2013 – 2016 civil war. The political division is not the only force behind the country’s disarray.
The South Sudanese government has historically depended on oil production as its primary source of revenue. However, widespread corruption has hindered the equitable distribution of these funds, leaving much of the population without benefit. Civil servants often go months without being paid. Climate shocks, such as widespread flooding, have led to large-scale displacement and the closure of schools.
Even before these crises, South Sudan’s health and education systems ranked among the weakest globally, with many facilities operated or supported by aid organizations. But instead of preparing to offer sanctuary, the US government is withdrawing its hand. In their initiative of revoking student visas, the Trump administration has called for US embassies to stop conducting student visa interviews.
Star basketball player, Khaman Maluach, attends Duke University as a freshman student, and has been expected to be among the top 10 picks in this year’s NBA Draft. He is also amongst the US visa holders from South Sudan in which President Donald Trump and his administration say will have their documents revoked “effective immediately.”
According to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, the visa dispute revolves around the single Congolese individual whom the government in Juba has refused to receive. No new visas will be issued, the US said, and “we will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”