South Sudan says it will accept deportee amid Rubio's visa revocations
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a joint press conference held with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during the NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers' meeting at NATO Headquarters on April 3 in Brussels, Belgium. Photo: Omar Havana/Getty Images
The government of South Sudan said Tuesday it would accept a deportee from the U.S. who it previously denied entry, despite contending the man is not South Sudanese.
The big picture: The decision comes amid an ongoing back-and-forth with the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Saturday that the U.S. would revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and restrict further issuance, citing the "failure" of the African nation's transitional government to accept repatriated citizens in "a timely matter."
The latest: The Foreign Ministry of South Sudan said Tuesday it would allow a deportee who is Congolese into the country "in the spirit of the existing friendly relations between South Sudan and the United States."
- The individual, identified as Makula Kintu in a Monday statement, arrived with travel documents under the name Nimeri Garang.
- South Sudan's government said on Tuesday that it would facilitate Kintu's arrival as early as Wednesday.
State of play: A State Department spokesperson told Axios it is aware of South Sudan's commitment to accept the individual in question and is prepared to review the country's actions.
During Kintu's interview at Juba International Airport, he said he was brought to South Sudan from the U.S. against his will, according to the Monday statement.
- Data provided by DHS to South Sudan authorities showed Kintu entered the U.S. in August 2003 and left for Congo in 2009. He illegally re-entered the U.S. in 2016, per the statement.
- The deportee told South Sudan authorities that he is from Congo and the Ema tribe of the Northern Kivu Province.
"The Government deeply regrets that despite this history of collaboration and partnership, South Sudan now faces a broad revocation of visas based on an isolated incident involving misrepresentation by an individual who is not a South Sudanese national," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation's Monday statement read.
The other side: Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau pushed back on claims from South Sudanese officials in a Sunday post ahead of Monday's statement, saying South Sudan's "OWN EMBASSY in Washington certified this particular individual as one of their nationals."
- He stated it is "unacceptable and irresponsible for South Sudanese government officials to second guess the determination of their own Embassy."
Zoom out: Rubio's move comes as concern persists that South Sudan is on the verge of returning to civil war.
- The Biden administration offered Temporary Protected Status for migrants from South Sudan in 2023. That protection from deportation runs until May.
- But the Trump administration, during its sweeping deportation push, already moved to end TPS for Venezuelans living in the U.S. and roll back protections for hundreds of thousands of Haitians.
- Rubio estimated late last month that the U.S. had already revoked more than 300 visas. The State Department and immigration authorities in particular have zeroed in on college campuses in a push First Amendment and immigration advocates say is stifling free speech.
Go deeper: Former Costa Rican president, a Trump critic, says U.S. revoked his visa
Editor's note: This story was updated with new developments.
