Khaman Maluach Vs. The Visa Ban

This Visa crackdown and the uncertainty of the future for many student-athletes are realities being faced right now. 

Under the current administration’s new policies, students from all over the country are facing threats of deportation, with their heads constantly on a swivel for fears of what’s to come.

For freshman Duke men’s basketball player Khaman Maluach, this fear has become a reality.

 

Just hours after falling short in the NCAA March Madness tournament, Maluach, as many other South Sudanese citizens on visas within the United States, were notified by the United States Department of State, by Marco Rubio, that:

 

Every country must accept the return of its citizens promptly when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them. As South Sudan’s transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle, effective immediately, the United States Department of State is taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance to prevent entry into the United States by South Sudanese passport holders.”

 

The cause of this comes from the continued instability in South Sudan, as a fragile peace agreement that had been signed in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar ended a violent five-year civil war, however, tensions have remained high as the risk of another civil conflict continues to arise.

Though Rubio and other officials have ensure that this ban would be lifted once South Sudan is in “full cooperation” with the United States regarding visa agreements, there are still many questions about the future of those impacted. 

For many international students, such as Maluach, these decisions aren’t simply political.

They are life-altering. 

 

According to data provided by the United States Department of State, only 46 non-immigrant visas were issued to South Sudanese citizens in January of 2025 — a significantly smaller number than from neighboring countries such as Uganda and Tanzania. 

However, the impact of this sudden and new ban is much more personal for those student athletes who are affected. 

For Maluach, there is uncertainty on whether or not he could return to Duke University for his sophomore season as a Blue Devil, nevermind being able to declare for the 2025 NBA Draft in just a few months.

 

In a statement from Duke University’s vice president of communications, marketing, and public affairs, Frank Trimble stated that:

 

"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 any implications for Duke students.”

 

The United States Department of State has continued to decline to provide more inquiries on information and data for these statistics.