Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said on Saturday that he revoked the visas of all passport holders in South Sudan because the country’s transitional government had refused to accept “in a timely” manner which was expelled by the Trump administration.
Mr. Rubio also said in a Social media message That he “would limit any other program to prevent the entry” of South Sudanese, accusing “the failure of the transitional government of South Sudan” to accept repatriation. In a statement published through the State Department, Mr. Rubio said: “We will be ready to examine these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation.”
Mr. Rubio’s action is similar to that that President Trump announced at the end of January, when he threatened Colombian officials from the dismissal of their visas and prices on the country’s exports because they refused to accept US military flights with Colombian deportees. In this case, Colombia quickly overthrew its decision.
Mr. Rubio’s decision to approve such a radical action on the visas of travelers and immigrants from South Sudanese is another sign of the accent put by the Trump administration on the attempt to deport as many foreign citizens in the United States as quickly as possible, an action that Mr. Trump promised that he would take during the campaign track.
Some of the potential deportees have brought prosecution against the Trump administration, and several judges have therefore issued temporary ban orders.
South Sudan officials could not be reached immediately to comment on Saturday evening.
Lucas GUTTTAG, a former head of the Ministry of Justice during the Biden administration, called the move “another example of overwhelming individuals according to the nationality and the upheaval of the life of the holders of innocent and respectful visas of the law instead of engaging in significant diplomacy.”
The Trump administration has attempted to carry out a mass expulsion campaign thanks to major operations across the United States in recent months. Mr. Rubio argued that he had the right to revoke the visas of some of these potential deportees, now in detention centers because they subverted American foreign policy.
Several eminent detainees participated in campus demonstrations or have written essays against the War of Israel in Gaza and American support for arms.
Rubio said on March 27 that he may have revoked 300 visas or more and sign papers daily to expel more people. The most eminent foreign citizen to have revoked his visa was perhaps óscar Arias Sánchez, the former president of Costa Rica and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Arias said on Tuesday that the United States government had informed him that the visa of his passport had been suspended, weeks after writing on social networks that Trump behaved as if he were “a Roman emperor”.
The US government has long been faced with problems with countries that are expected to be expelled by the Ministry of Internal Security – either due to a lack of diplomatic links, or problems to obtain appropriate travel documents. During the first Trump administration, US officials imposed sanctions by visa on several countries which they considered to be not very cooperative. These sanctions have affected some people already abroad looking for visas.
In 2023, the Biden administration offered protection against the expulsion of southern Sudan migrants through a program known as temporary protected status. The decision was made, officials said, due to violence in the country. These protections take place until May.
