In an unprecedented blanket measure, the US State Department announced on April 5 that it would immediately revoke all visas for South Sudanese citizens and prevent any of its nationals from entering the US.
The directive, which includes the cancellation of all South Sudanese student visas, came in response to a deportation row in which US secretary of state Marco Rubio said it was time for South Sudan “to stop taking advantage of the US”.
According to Rubio, the blanket cancellation of visas came in response to the South Sudanese government refusing to accept the repatriation of one of its citizens, though the man in question was later identified as a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them,” Rubio said in a statement on April 5.
South Sudan’s foreign ministry initially refused to accept the deported individual. However, in a climb down aimed at avoiding a visa dispute with the US, it has since said it will accept the man “in the spirit of existing friendly relations” with the Trump administration.
The US has not yet responded to the latest move from South Sudan, though Rubio’s initial directive maintained that it would “be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation”.
In Tuesday’s statement from the South Sudanese foreign ministry, it emphasised its commitment to supporting the return of “verified South Sudanese nationals” scheduled to be repatriated from the US.
What’s really at stake here is whether we will have a workable repatriation system or not
Christopher Landau, US State Department
US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau dismissed South Sudan’s initial refusal of the deported individual on the basis of his mistaken identity as a “legally irrelevant” detail.
Writing on social media, he said it was “unacceptable and irresponsible” of the South Sudanese government to second guess the nationality determination made by the South Sudanese US embassy, maintaining that foreign governments did not have the right to reopen such cases.
“What’s really at stake here is whether we will have a workable repatriation system or not,” said Landau.
Last year, there were approximately 100 South Sudanese students in the US, according to IIE.
While impacting statistically few students, the order is the first time Trump has targeted the citizens of one country with such a blanket measure, fuelling the increasingly unstable environment for noncitizens on US college campuses.
Last month, several Ivy League institutions issued warnings to international students and faculty of expected travel bans including full visa suspensions for some countries. Aside from the most recent row with South Sudan, nothing has come of the speculations.
The targeting of South Sudanese citizens relates to the Executive Order issued on Trump’s inauguration day, permitting the government to implement “enhanced vetting” of foreign nationals applying for US visas, warranting the full suspension of nationals from entire countries.
Under previous US administrations, South Sudanese nationals were granted temporary protected status (TPS), which allowed them to remain in the US with the right to work and travel, though this was due to expire on May 3. Meanwhile, fears are rising that the country could return to full-blown civil war without any international intervention.
