WASHINGTON, DC (April 8, 2025) — Today, Congresswomen Valerie Foushee (NC-04) and Deborah Ross (NC-02) urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reverse the agency’s decision to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders. North Carolina is home to a prominent South Sudanese community, including some of the so-called Lost Boys of Sudan, who were driven away from their homes and orphaned during a civil war in the 1980s.
The Congresswomen emphasized that innocent visa holders legally residing in the United States should not be used as political pawns in a diplomatic dispute:
“The South Sudanese visa holders in the United States are not foreign enemies, nor are they responsible for any disagreement you and President Trump may have with the transitional government of South Sudan. These are members of our communities, students pursuing an education, athletes hoping to compete at the highest levels, workers contributing to our economy, and families who sought safety and refuge in our country. These law-abiding residents of North Carolina and the United States should not be arbitrarily punished or placed in danger,” wrote the lawmakers.
The members also emphasized the dire humanitarian situation and violence engulfing South Sudan:
They wrote, “United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that the country is facing ‘a security emergency,’ as tensions continue to escalate between government forces and armed militias. According to the UN, tens of thousands of people have been displaced since late February due to the violence.”
Full text of the letter is available here.