Two North Carolina Democrats are pushing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reverse his order on South Sudanese visas with a Duke University basketball player in mind.
Reps. Deborah Ross and Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) are calling for the reversal of Rubio’s order, which sought to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders.
“The South Sudanese visa holders in the United States are not foreign enemies, nor are they responsible for any disagreement you and President Trump may have with the transnational government of South Sudan,” the congresswoman wrote to Rubio. “These are members of our communities, students pursuing an education, athletes hoping to compete at the highest levels, workers contributing to our economy, and families who sought safety and refuge in our country.”
The North Carolina Democrats noted that the state is home to a significant South Sudanese community, including the “Lost Boys of Sudan,” who were driven from their homes amid a 1980s civil war.
Rubio’s order came as Duke basketball player Khaman Maluach played in the NCAA Final Four tournament.
Malauch was born in South Sudan and grew up as a refugee in Uganda. He played for South Sudan’s Olympic basketball team last year before attending Duke as a first-year student. Now, under Rubio’s order, he may face deportation, The News and Observer reported.
Rubio announced over the weekend that the U.S. would be revoking visas for South Sudanese passport holders because the country’s traditional government did not accept citizens who were deported from the U.S.
The secretary said the U.S. would be willing to “review these actions” once South Sudan is in “full cooperation,” arguing the country was taking advantage of the U.S.
“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States,” Rubio said. “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, which is in East Africa, is one of the world’s poorest countries. It is also one of the newest, declaring independence in 2011. Tensions have risen in recent weeks in the country and the United Nation’s Secretary-General António Guterres warned the country was falling into a crisis.
The Hill has reached out to the State Department for comment.
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