A Duke University spokesman has said the school is ‘looking into’ a State Department ruling that could see Blue Devils star Khaman Maluach deported from the United States.
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that the US would be ‘taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and to restrict any further issuance to prevent entry into the United States, effective immediately.’
Rubio stated the reason for this was because of ‘the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner.’
Maluach, who played out his freshman year with Duke this season, is a native of South Sudan and concern has grown that he will be forced to return to his home country.
Duke spokesman Frank Tramble released a statement after Rubio’s announcement, saying that the university is ‘aware of the announcement from the Department of State regarding visa holders from South Sudan.’
He continued, ‘We are looking into the situation and working expeditiously to understand any implications for Duke students.’
Duke basketball star Khaman Maluach – a South Sudan native – could be deported from the US
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday that the government was working towards revoking the visas of all South Sudanese passport holders
A State Department spokesperson later reiterated Rubio’s position to Yahoo! Sports, telling the publication that the government decision would ‘impact all those who have a U.S. visa in a South Sudanese passport and anyone with a South Sudanese passport who is applying for a U.S. visa.
‘We will provide further information and instructions to affected visa holders and applicants as it is available,’ the State Department spokesperson added.
Maluach was born in the South Sudanese town of Rumbek, but grew up in neighboring Uganda as a refugee.
It’s unclear if the center is in the United States on a South Sudanese visa or if he may have citizenship in another country.
In a longer statement released on Saturday, Rubio urged South Sudan to ‘stop taking advantage of the United States. Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States.
‘Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them.’
Maluach had a below average game vs. Houston, totaling just six points and zero rebounds
While Maluach’s freshman season came to end on Saturday as Duke collapsed against Houston in the Final Four, his playing future was still expected to be in the United States.
The 18-year-old has been projected as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft after a promising freshman season in which he averaged 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Against Houston, he produced just six points and zero rebounds in 21 minutes, and was not made available to reporters after the game on Saturday night.
Maluach went to high school in Senegal at the NBA Academy Africa before playing professionally for Cobra Sport – a team in his native South Sudan – as a 16-year-old.
Maluach played for two more professional teams – AS Douanes of Senegal and City Oilers of Uganda – before being recruited to Duke. He picked the Blue Devils over offers from UCLA, Kentucky, and Kansas.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .