US cancels South Sudan protected status

JUBA, South Sudan -- The United States is terminating South Sudan's designation for temporary protected status, which for years allowed people from the East African country to remain in the U.S. legally and escape armed conflict back home.

The termination will be effective Jan. 5, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

"After conferring with interagency partners, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that conditions in South Sudan no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements," the statement said.

It added that South Sudanese nationals who use the Customs and Border Protection mobile app to report their departure could receive "a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and potential future opportunities for legal immigration."

The new policy is a blow to people from South Sudan, a nation that remains politically unstable and the source of many refugees seeking shelter abroad.

Edmund Yakani, a prominent civic leader in South Sudan, said the decision may be "a clear demonstration that South Sudan is no longer cooperating with the U.S. on matters of deportation of foreign nationals."

At least eight men were deported to South Sudan from the U.S. earlier in the year, as part of a program to deport unwanted migrants to third countries.

Source: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2025/nov/07/us-cancels-south-sudan-protected-status-king/