DHS Ends South Sudan Protections: Some Countries Are Just More Equal
The Hill reports that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas found South Sudan's conditions 'no longer support' their TPS designation. This decision rolls back protections for approximately 2,740 individuals, forcing them to find other legal avenues or face deportation to a country still grappling with widespread violence, food insecurity, and a highly fragile peace agreement (2018 Peace Agreement).
While DHS greenlights returns to active conflict zones in Africa, Congress continues to rubber-stamp billions in aid to Israel, a nation facing allegations of genocide, without a peep about ending protections for its own allies' citizens. One might wonder what criteria truly define a 'safe' return destination. Remember in 2017-2018 when the Trump administration also ended TPS for several
countries, including El Salvador and Haiti, only to face global outrage and legal challenges? This isn't just about 'conditions' in South Sudan; it's about whose suffering we prioritize and whose we deem inconvenient. It’s almost as if some countries are granted an indefinite pass for chaos, while others, less strategically significant, get a swift boot. The notion that South Sudan is more
'stable' than, say, areas currently targeted by advanced weaponry and facing systematic displacement raises uncomfortable questions about DHS's selective vision.