Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security published a termination notice Wednesday, ending Temporary Protected Status for South Sudanese nationals and setting the designation to lapse in January 2026.
- Roughly 5,000 people in the United States are affected after a program first granted in 2011 and extended across multiple administrations.
- DHS says there is no longer an ongoing armed conflict threatening returning nationals and points to improved diplomacy and South Sudan’s stated readiness to reintegrate returnees.
- U.N. officials and humanitarian monitors warn of fragile security and severe hunger, including IPC reports of catastrophic food insecurity in parts of South Sudan and persistent concerns about a slide back to large-scale violence.
- DHS is urging voluntary departures via the CBP Home app, offering a plane ticket and a $1,000 exit payment, as the move fits a broader administration rollback of several TPS designations that has faced court challenges.