The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday it will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan, revoking the humanitarian protection that has allowed thousands of its nationals to live and work in the United States since the country’s descent into civil war.
The decision, published in a Federal Register notice, means that an estimated 5,000 South Sudanese beneficiaries will lose their legal status on Jan. 5, 2026. They will have a 60-day grace period, from Nov. 6 until the expiration date, to depart the United States or face potential deportation.
The TPS program, established by Congress, allows nationals of designated countries affected by ongoing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to remain in the United States. South Sudan was first designated for TPS in 2011 following its independence, and the designation was repeatedly extended under the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations due to persistent violence and instability.
In its notice, DHS acknowledged that “residual challenges from the civil war remain” but concluded that the conditions that justified the designation no longer exist.
“Although residual challenges from the civil war remain, there is no longer an ongoing armed conflict that poses a serious threat to the personal safety of returning South Sudanese nationals,” the agency stated, pointing to a 2018 peace agreement and ongoing political negotiations.
The move represents a significant policy shift and contrasts with recent assessments from United Nations officials and humanitarian organizations, which have warned that South Sudan’s fragile peace process is unraveling.
A U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reported to the General Assembly in late October that the country’s political transition is “falling apart.”
“The ceasefire is not holding, political detentions have become a tool of repression… All indicators point to a slide back toward another deadly war,” commissioner Barney Afako told the U.N.
The U.S. State Department currently maintains a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for South Sudan, citing “armed conflict, crime, and kidnapping.”
According to U.N. agencies and the Congressional Research Service, nearly three-quarters of South Sudan’s population, or about 9 million people, require humanitarian assistance, with 7.7 million facing acute food insecurity.
The termination of TPS for South Sudan follows a pattern of reviews of the program. The Biden administration has ended TPS for several countries, including Cameroon and Mauritania, while extending it for others, such as Ukraine and Afghanistan.
South Sudanese nationals in the United States under TPS now face a difficult choice between returning to a nation with an uncertain future or remaining in the U.S. without legal status.