Photos released by DHS of deportees, top L-R: Nyo Myint, Burma, Enrique Arias-Hierro, Cuba, Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones, Cuba, Tuan Thanh Phan, Vietnam, bottom L-R: Thongxay Nilakout, Laos, Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, Mexico, Dian Peter Domach, South Sudan and Kyaw Mya, a citizen of Burma.
Wednesday 9 July 2025
The Spokesperson of South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Apuk Ayuen Mayen, confirmed to this outlet the arrival of eight individuals, including one South Sudanese, at Juba International Airport following standard deportation procedures undertaken by the Government of the United States of America.
Ayuen said that in line with its sovereign responsibilities and established procedures, the government of the Republic of South Sudan received these individuals through the appropriate national institutions.
She stated that the deportees are currently in Juba under the care of the relevant authorities, who are screening them and ensuring their safety and well-being, in accordance with South Sudanese laws and applicable international norms and practices.
This development comes in the context of ongoing bilateral engagement between the Republic of South Sudan and the United States of America.
As part of a broader framework of cooperation, both countries continue to engage constructively and with good faith on a range of matters, including political, economic, investment, security, humanitarian, and consular-related issues, among others.
This engagement aims at normalizing relations, deepening bilateral cooperation, and addressing issues of mutual concern and interest.
Ayuen commended the longstanding support extended by the United States during the country’s struggle for self-determination, the 2011 referendum, and the post-independence development.
In the spirit of mutual respect, support, understanding, and solidarity, South Sudan responded positively to a request from the United States authorities as a gesture of goodwill, humanitarian cooperation, and commitment to mutual interests.
This careful and well-studied decision reflects the Republic of South Sudan’s enduring commitment to the principles of international cooperation and humanitarian responsibility.
It also acknowledges the shared historical, political, and liberation linkages between South Sudan and the countries of origin of some of the deportees.
Ayuen emphasised that it is important to underscore that the government of South Sudan maintains a strong commitment to the dignity and protection of its people and sovereign territorial integrity.
“The government of South Sudan reiterates its full and strong commitment to the fundamental reality and fact that its highest obligation and responsibility remains to the beloved people of South Sudan. It will continue to uphold national interests, adhere to the rule of law, international obligations, and norms,” she stated.
“The Government of the Republic of South Sudan will continue to pursue partnerships that support peace, development, mutual benefit, and effective international cooperation,” she added.
The US officials said the men’s countries of origin refused to accept them, so DHS, in partnership with the State Department, found a country that would accept them through a “safe third-country agreement.”
“I can say that their home countries refuse to take these individuals back,” acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons said.
The deportees were held under guard for weeks at an American military base in the African nation of Djibouti while their legal challenges played out in court have now reached the Trump administration’s intended destination, war-torn South Sudan, a country the State Department advises against travel to due to “crime, kidnapping, and armed conflict.”
The immigrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan arrived in South Sudan on Friday after a federal judge cleared the way for the Trump administration to relocate them in a case that had gone to the Supreme Court, which had permitted their removal from the U.S. Administration officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S.
