The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudanese nationals, stripping away deportation safeguards for hundreds of refugees who have called the United States home for over a decade.
The decision, announced on Wednesday, by Secretary Kristi Noem, signals the Trump administration’s aggressive push to dismantle what it deems “abused” immigration programs, even as the United Nations warns of deepening instability in the world’s youngest nation.
TPS, a humanitarian tool established under U.S. law, shields foreign nationals from deportation when their home countries face war, natural disasters, or other catastrophes.
For South Sudan, designated in October 2011 after its independence from Sudan, the program has allowed approximately 230 beneficiaries – plus 73 pending applicants – to live and work legally in America. Many arrived fleeing ethnic violence that killed hundreds of thousands and displace millions.
The status was last extended in 2023 by then-Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, citing “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions” that rendered returns unsafe.
But Noem’s Federal Register notice declares the chapter closed.
“After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. government agencies, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has determined that conditions in South Sudan no longer meet the statutory requirements for Temporary Protected Status,” DHS stated.
The termination takes effect January 5, 2026, with a 60-day grace period for voluntary departure. DHS estimates affected individuals must leave by early January or risk removal proceedings.
In a pointed critique of prior policies, a DHS spokesperson remarked, “Under the previous administration, Temporary Protected Status was abused to allow violent terrorists, criminals and national security threats into our nation. TPS was never designed to be permanent.”
DHS cited “renewed peace” and improved bilateral ties, noting South Sudan’s recent acceptance of deportees from other nations in exchange for sanctions relief.
To ease exits, DHS promotes the CBP Home app, offering self-deportees a complimentary flight, $1,000 bonus, and obscure “potential future opportunities for legal immigration.”
Back home in South Sudan, political tensions simmer between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, with fears of renewed civil war.
The Trump admin has axed TPS for other countries including Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Syria, and Venezuela, affecting hundreds of thousands.