Secretary Marco Rubio announced on twitter that the United States has revoked all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and that further issuance is banned to prevent entry.
“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,” he said.
Many applauded Secretary Marco Rubio for the bold move. However, a few were aggrieved.
“This decision directly contradicts the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that the United States had previously pledged to provide to these individuals due to the security conditions in their country. This move marks a formal abandonment of the humanitarian principles that have long set the United States apart from others, signaling a renunciation of the values that have historically supported the vulnerable in times of crisis,” Khaled mahmoued, an Egyptian writer and journalist, said.
This was opposed by one user who pointed out that while the U.S. has a historical stance as a haven for the persecuted, it is not a permanent guarantee. “We are not required to be the dumping ground for every nation having problems with their government”.
"America has every right under sovereign law to remove individuals who are unlawfully present. If South Sudan refuses to accept them back, that’s a violation of international repatriation norms. In such cases, the U.S. may respond with visa sanctions against citizens of that country—as Rubio is doing here.
This kind of visa revocation isn’t new—it’s been used against countries like Guinea, Eritrea, and Cambodia when they didn’t cooperate with deportations," he stated.
"I’m sorry, but we can’t afford to fix ALL the problems in the world. Especially those countries who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions.
I also feel bad for the Sudanese people and what they are going through, but the US can’t solve the world’s problems," another X user stated.
“Why doesn’t Egypt take them in? Or any other Muslim country in the region. It’s full of them. They will assimilate better as well,” yet another user stated in support of the US Government’s stand…