Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the State Department is revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and will issue no more for the time being. The department issued a statement saying the East African nation is “taking advantage" of the U.S.
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
Here is the tweet in full:
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 citizens in a timely manner.
Rubio said that South Sudan is refusing to cooperate with the U.S.’ efforts to repatriate their citizens that are here in our country:
"Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States," according to the statement. "Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them."
The department said it "will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation."
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This is not the first time the Trump administration has played hardball with foreign countries over our efforts to send criminals, gang members and illegal aliens packing. The strategy worked with Colombia:
Mr. Rubio’s action is similar to one that President Trump announced in late January, when he threatened Colombian officials with revocation of their visas and tariffs on the country’s exports because they were refusing to accept U.S. military flights with Colombian deportees. In that case, Colombia reversed its decision quickly.
The decision by Mr. Rubio to approve such a sweeping action on the visas of South Sudanese travelers and immigrants is a further sign of the Trump administration’s intense focus on trying to deport as many foreign citizens from the United States as quickly as possible, an action that Mr. Trump promised he would take while on the campaign trail.
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It's unclear how this will affect Duke basketball star Khaman Maluach:
Duke basketball’s Khaman Maluach may face deportation as U.S. visa restrictions on South Sudanese citizens take effect. The policy, announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stems from South Sudan’s refusal to accept repatriated individuals.
— Wayne DuPree (@TheDupreeReport) April 6, 2025
Duke is evaluating the situation. pic.twitter.com/vQ5czR0foK
The Blue Devils just lost a heartbreaker in the Final Four Saturday after the Houston Cougars engineered a stunning comeback and pulled out the win 70-67, so whatever effect Rubio's order has, it won't affect the national championship.
We’ll see how South Sudan reacts to this latest move by Team Trump. This is what he promised on the campaign trail, and this is what he’s delivering.
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