Visa Revocation: Wole Soyinka ‘tore up’ his U.S. Green Card after Trump’s election victory
Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka made good on his promise to destroy his U.S. green card following Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory. Speaking at Oxford University’s Ertegun House on November 2, 2016, Soyinka declared that if Trump won, he would begin a personal “Wolexit” — severing ties with the United States.
True to his word, shortly after Trump’s win, Soyinka confirmed at a conference in South Africa that he had carried out the act. “I have already done it; I have disengaged. I had a horror of what is to come with Trump. I threw away the card, and I have relocated — back to where I have always been.”
Soyinka obtained his U.S. permanent residency in the 1990s during a political sabbatical at Emory University, assisted by President Jimmy Carter. His decision was a protest against Trump’s xenophobic and divisive rhetoric targeting Blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims.
Nearly nine years later, Soyinka’s non-immigrant visa was revoked by the U.S. Consulate-General in Lagos, citing “additional information obtained after issuance.” Soyinka expressed surprise, stating he wasn’t accused of any specific wrongdoing.
The revocation followed a tax audit notification from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS), prompting Soyinka to apply for a visa to resolve the issue. “I only wanted to resolve the tax issue to avoid being branded a ‘tax dodger’ by the U.S.,” he said.
