The U.S. announced on Saturday, April 5, via Reuters, that it plans to cancel all visas belonging to individuals holding South Sudanese passports. The decision was made due to South Sudan’s refusal to accept repatriated citizens.

South Sudan had failed to respect the principle that  every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the U.S., seeks to remove them, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.  

“Effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders,” Rubio said.

“We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation,” he said.