Thousands of South Sudanese nationals living in the United States face possible deportation following President Donald Trump’s decision to end a 12-year protection arrangement that had allowed them to remain in the country legally.
According to a statement issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the decision follows an interagency review process led by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, who concluded that “conditions in South Sudan no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements.”
The DHS said the determination was based on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) assessment of the country’s security and humanitarian conditions, conducted in consultation with the Department of State.
DHS offers “safe departure” initiative with exit bonus
In an unprecedented move, the DHS has encouraged departing South Sudanese nationals to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Home Mobile App to report their departure and facilitate what the department calls a “safe and secure self-deportation process.”
The initiative offers a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and potential future eligibility for legal immigration channels, an approach described by officials as a “humane and orderly conclusion” to the program.
Nationals have 60 days to depart voluntarily before deportations begin in early January.
The origins of South Sudan’s TPS designation
The TPS designation for South Sudan was first granted in 2011 after the nation’s civil conflict erupted, displacing millions and creating one of Africa’s worst humanitarian crises.
For over a decade, it provided South Sudanese citizens the right to live and work legally in the U.S. without fear of removal.
However, the Trump administration has argued that security and humanitarian conditions in the country have “significantly improved,” justifying the termination of TPS protections.
Critics, including humanitarian organizations and African advocacy groups, have strongly disagreed, citing ongoing violence, food insecurity, and fragile governance in South Sudan. Many warn that the mass return of nationals could deepen instability and reverse fragile gains in peace and reconstruction.
In recent years, the administration has ended similar protections for nationals from Haiti and Liberia, while maintaining temporary protections for Sudan and imposing visa bans on several African nations, including Chad, the Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea, among others.
Supporters of the move argue that TPS was never meant to be permanent, while opponents contend that the policy’s abrupt end disregards on-the-ground realities in affected nations.
As the January deadline approaches, South Sudanese communities across the U.S. face growing anxiety over an uncertain future.
For many, the promise of a one-way ticket and an “exit bonus” offers little comfort in the face of deportation to a homeland still struggling to rebuild from years of war and economic collapse.
