The Trump administration has announced it will terminate the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudanese nationals living in the United States, ending more than a decade of humanitarian protection for migrants fleeing conflict and instability.
According to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice published Wednesday, South Sudan’s TPS designation expired earlier this week. The roughly 232 South Sudanese nationals currently protected under the program now have a 60-day grace period to depart the country before facing possible deportation in early January.
DHS said the decision reflects an assessment that “the conditions supporting South Sudan’s TPS designation no longer exist,” effectively concluding a program first enacted in 2011 after the young nation descended into civil war.
The move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to restrict legal immigration pathways under his “America First” agenda. Since taking office in January 2017, his administration has sought to end TPS protections for nationals from several countries, including Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba, and Syria, though many of those terminations remain entangled in court challenges.
The Temporary Protected Status program shields people from deportation if returning to their home countries would pose a danger due to war, natural disaster, or other crises. It also allows recipients to work legally in the United States for the duration of the designation.
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, remains deeply unstable. A five-year civil war that began in 2013 killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced millions. Despite a fragile peace deal, the United Nations and aid agencies report continuing food insecurity and widespread malnutrition.
A U.N.-backed hunger monitor this week described the country’s food crisis as “extremely high,” with nearly 70 percent of the population facing acute hunger.
Critics of the DHS decision say conditions remain too dangerous for safe return. Human rights organizations have warned that deportees could face violence or severe deprivation if sent back.
The administration has also reduced refugee admissions to their lowest levels since the modern resettlement system was established in 1980, tightening eligibility standards and increasing vetting requirements.
While DHS officials insist that TPS designations are reviewed purely on humanitarian grounds, the cumulative rollbacks have drawn sharp criticism from immigrant advocates and lawmakers who accuse the administration of dismantling long-standing protections for vulnerable groups.
The South Sudan TPS designation officially ends in January 2026, unless reversed by court action or renewed by a future administration.
Â
Africa Digital News, New YorkÂ
