The United States will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of South Sudan, a program that has allowed them to live and work legally in the US for over a decade to escape ongoing conflict at home, officials announced Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the decision will take effect on January 5. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem determined that conditions in South Sudan “no longer meet the TPS statutory requirements” after consulting with other federal agencies.

According to the DHS statement, South Sudanese nationals who report their departure through the Customs and Border Protection mobile app could qualify for “a complimentary plane ticket, a $1,000 exit bonus, and possible opportunities for legal reentry in the future.”

The decision comes as a major setback for South Sudanese immigrants and refugees still facing instability and humanitarian crises in their homeland.

Edmund Yakani, a leading civic activist in South Sudan, criticized the move, suggesting it reflected strained ties between Juba and Washington. He said South Sudan’s refusal to accept a second group of deportees from the US had angered the Trump administration, prompting it to end TPS protections.

Earlier this year, at least eight South Sudanese were deported from the US under a program to remove undocumented migrants.

The US first granted South Sudan TPS in 2011, following the country’s independence from Sudan, and had renewed it every 18 months since then. The Trump administration has rolled back several similar protections, including those for Venezuelans and Haitians previously covered under President Joe Biden’s policies.

South Sudan continues to face severe challenges, including political tension, economic hardship, and widespread hunger. Aid agencies warn that parts of the country are nearing famine conditions, while a fragile 2018 peace deal between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar is showing signs of collapse after Machar’s arrest on treason charges earlier this year.