US Ends Temporary Deportation Protections for South Sudanese Nationals

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it would end protections from deportation for South Sudanese nationals, according to a notice published on Nov. 5 in the Federal Register.

South Sudanese nationals now have a 60-day grace period to leave the United States before facing deportation starting in early January 2026, the DHS said in the notice on their designation status, which expired on Nov. 3.

The agency said that South Sudan’s situation was no longer within the conditions for the temporary protected status (TPS) for that country’s nationals who are in the United States

“While there is inter/intra-communal violence linked to border disputes, cross-border violence, cyclical and retaliatory attacks, and ethnic polarization, return to full-scale civil war, to-date, has been avoided,” the department wrote in the filing.

The agency added that “recent diplomatic developments between the U.S. Department of State and South Sudan’s transitional government indicate South Sudan’s willingness to ensure the safety and reintegration of its returning nationals.”

“Further, regarding the extraordinary and temporary conditions, there have been improvements in South Sudan’s civil safety outlook, which would allow aliens to safely return to the country,” the notice said.

“The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan is also building the capacity of South Sudan’s local police and justice system so South Sudan’s government can further protect its own citizens.”

Nationals from Syria, Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua, and several other countries have also had their respective TPS statuses revoked, although some of those decisions by DHS face court challenges. The Trump administration has also separately set a limit on refugee admissions to the lowest ceiling on record.

South Sudan has faced repeated bouts of violent conflict since 2011, with a civil war between 2013 and 2018 leaving 400,000 people dead.

In response to the DHS notice, the New York Immigration Coalition was critical of the move. It noted that around 5,000 people from South Sudan live in the United States.

“At a time when South Sudan is mired in armed conflicts, mass displacement, and severe famine, it’s cruel and heartless to strip legal status from South Sudanese people living in America, especially since the conditions in their homeland make it impossible for them to return,” the group said in a statement.

It called on the administration to “reverse this action and demand that Congress create permanent legal pathways to uphold our country’s longstanding humanitarian values, protect our immigrant families, and keep our economy stable and our communities strong.”

Reuters contributed to this report.