Why US Secretary of State visa edict may cause problems for Duke basketball freshman
While Khaman Maluach was helping Duke’s basketball team in a fierce matchup against Houston in the Final Four on Saturday night, his immigration status became uncertain due to a state department decree from Washington.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a statement on X Saturday, saying he planned to “revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders” immediately.
Maluach, Duke’s 7-foot-2 freshman center, is a South Sudanese native who played for that country’s national team at the Paris Olympics last summer.
Duke athletics director Nina King, who watched Houston defeat Duke at the Final Four at the Alamodome, told The News & Observer that the university is “looking into” the situation and had no further immediate comment.
Duke University spokesman Frank Tramble issued a statement after midnight, early Sunday morning:
“Duke University is aware of the announcement from the Department of State regarding visa holders from South Sudan,” the statement read. “We are looking into the situation and working expeditiously to understand the implications for Duke students.”
Saturday could also have been Maluach’s final game in a Duke uniform anyway. After the Blue Devils’ loss Saturday, each of the team’s three elite freshmen — Maluach, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel — could enter the 2025 NBA Draft.
After the game, Maluach did not appear publicly in the locker room during the team’s media availability.
Rubio’s statement Saturday evening: “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.
“We will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation,” Rubio said in an expanded statement on the Secretary of State’s website.
This is not the first action Rubio has taken in recent months regarding the revocation of visas.
The New York Times reported March 28 that Rubio has signed more than 300 letters revoking the visas of students and other visitors to the country since Trump began his second term. Rubio told The New York Times that students and others were coming under scrutiny “if they’re taking activities that are counter to our foreign, to our national interest, to our foreign policy.”
Duke University and Duke Medical Center have the most international students — 5,949 — among North Carolina colleges, according to a 2024 report by the U.S. Department of State.
NC State students’ passports revoked
N.C. State University reported that two students had their visas revoked by the Trump administration on March 25, leading them to leave the university, The News & Observer reported. NC State reported the news on Tuesday, saying in a statement that they “did not initiate these terminations and was not directly notified of these changes.”
The university didn’t name the students, but one of the roommates of one of the students said both are from Saudi Arabia.
N.C. State University Chancellor Randy Woodson told The N&O Thursday that officials were surprised to learn about the situation and had not been informed about why their visas had been revoked.
“We’ve not been informed in any way of why, so we don’t know,” Woodson said. “There’s no reason at N.C. State — they’re in good standing as students. We don’t have any evidence of any history of any interaction with law enforcement.”
While having a revoked visa doesn’t automatically mean the student faces deportation, the N.C. State students decided to return home after consulting with their embassy.
Korie Dean contributed to this report.
This story was originally published April 6, 2025 at 12:58 AM.