Political tensions between the United States and South Sudan could lead to Khaman Maluach, the Duke Blue Devils' center, being deported. After their NCAA March Madness journey came to an abrupt halt following a heartbreaking loss to Houston in the Final Four, Duke University's basketball team is now grappling with another major issue: the potential deportation of their player Khaman Maluach. The South Sudan-born sportsman faces uncertainty due to the recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on social media platform X regarding the tightening of immigration measures.

Rubio's post on X stated: "I am 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, due to the failure of South Sudan's transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner."

Adding weight to his social media words, Rubio elaborated in a statement: "Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them. South Sudan's transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle."

South Sudanese nationals, including Maluach, were previously granted 'Temporary Protected Status' (TPS) under the Biden administration in light of the enduring violence involving the government and opposition forces. This status, however, is due to expire come May.

In response to a controversial post related to South Sudanese passport holders, Duke University initially had "no comment on the situation at this time", as reported by The Athletic. However, following up on these developments, a statement was released by Duke on Sunday morning.

Duke spokesperson, Frank Tramble, addressed the issue, saying: "Duke University is aware of the announcement from the Department of State regarding visa holders from South Sudan. We are looking into the situation and working expeditiously to understand the implications for Duke students."

The Raleigh News and Observer also noted that Maluach refrained from speaking to journalists after Duke's Final Four loss against Houston, with further context offered by Nina King, Duke's Athletic Director, stating she is "looking into" the matter.

Rubio's announcement has thrown Maluach's tenure with the basketball program into doubt. The 18 year old was a pivotal player for Duke this season, appearing in all 38 games and averaged 8.7 points alongside 6.8 rebounds per encounter.

Notably, the towering 7-foot-2 center also impressed during the 2024 Olympics in Paris, leading some sports analysts to predict a first-round selection for him in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft this June.

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