State Department has no comment on what revoking visas means for Duke player Malauch, who played for South Sudan in Olympics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that the United States was revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the African nation's government of “taking advantage 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,” Rubio said in a statement, adding that “South Sudan’s transitional government has failed to fully respect this principle."

The move could impact Duke freshman basketball player Khaman Maluach, who is a native of South Sudan. Maluach played for the South Sudanese basketball team in the Olympics. Maluach, a 7-foot-2 center and NBA prospect, completed his freshman season with the Blue Devils on Saturday night, just hours after Rubio's statement.

"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," said Frank Tamble, the university's vice president for communications, in a statement.

On Monday, the Duke Chronicle reported that two Duke graduate students and an alumnus had been told their visas would be revoked.

The Chronicle quoted an email sent by Kevin D’Arco, senior associate dean of international students, to all Duke international students.

“As a result of the termination of the visa status, the students are not legally able to continue their studies at Duke or to work in the U.S.,” D’Arco wrote.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on Malauch or any specific cases, and a statement from the department reiterated that there would be no exceptions.

It said, in part, "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."

South Sudan’s political landscape is fragile and recent violence between government troops and armed opposition groups has escalated tensions.

Last week, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged regional and international leaders to prevent South Sudan from falling “over the abyss” into another civil war.

Guterres warned that the world’s newest and one of its poorest countries is facing “a security emergency” with intensifying clashes and a “political upheaval” culminating with last week’s arrest by the government of First Vice President Riek Machar.