Reason US President Trump Revoked All South Sudanese Visas Emerges

• The United States government has revoked existing visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders
• The reason President Donald Trump's government revoked all visas issued to South Sudanese has emerged
• The Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau explained the reason in a more detailed statement

Legit.ng journalist, Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Washington, DC, United States - The reason President Donald Trump-led United States government revoked existing visas issued to all South Sudanese passport holders emerged.

The US government also barred further entries of South Sudanese nationals due to a failed deportation case.

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The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, blamed the transitional government of South Sudan for a lack of “full cooperation”.

Rubio also accused South Sudan of “taking advantage” of the United States government.

According to Al Jazeera, Rubio stated this in a statement issued on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

The statement is the first such blanket sanction on any country since President Donald Trump took office in January.

It signals an escalation of the Trump administration’s sweeping crackdown on immigration.

What US accuses South Sudan of?

Rubio hinted that South Sudan’s government refused to take back citizens who had been deported from the US.

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“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them,”

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau alleged that South Sudan refused to take back one of its presumed citizens because officials there had determined him to be Congolese after he arrived in Juba.

Landau claimed that the South Sudanese embassy in Washington, DC, verified the individual as a citizen on February 13, 2925.

According to Landau, the South Sudanese embassy issued an emergency travel letter that the US relied on to send the deportee on a flight to Juba.

However, upon arrival there, South Sudanese officials determined that he was not actually from the country and returned him to the US.

“Obviously, at that point, it is unacceptable and irresponsible for South Sudanese government officials to second guess the determination of their own Embassy – as far as we’re concerned, the Embassy’s certification is conclusive, and the matter is closed.”

Legit.ng earlier reported that the U.S. Department of State reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring visa holders comply with all U.S. laws and immigration regulations in a Facebook post on March 17, 2025.

The statement emphasised that visa screening does not end once a visa is issued, as the department continuously monitors visa holders to ensure adherence to legal and immigration requirements.

The post warned that non-compliance could result in visa revocation and deportation.

Immigration experts react as US revokes visa of South Sudanese

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that US-based immigration lawyers have weighed in critically on the US visa revocation decision for South Sudanese nationals, citing humanitarian concerns.

Speaking with Legit.ng, they cited humanitarian and deportation concerns over the revocation of the Temporary Protected Status of the nationals.

While suggesting the decision could be politically motivated, the potential impact on South Sudanese students was also explored.