Stand with Man Man
What you can do to support Duke’s freshman star facing deportation
This week, like too many lately, brought some heartbreaking news. I was really upset to learn that Duke’s incredible freshman center, Khaman Maluach, might be forced to leave the U.S. because of a new State Department policy targeting South Sudanese passport holders.
Man Man is one of my favorite players on the team. He’s a blast to watch on the court, and he’s hilarious in those locker room interviews with his teammates. On top of that, he just seems like one of the kindest, most humble, and genuinely grateful athletes we’ve ever had at Duke.
Now, because of a broad immigration policy that punishes his home country for not processing deportations fast enough, Khaman could be deported. It’s absurd. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.
I felt helpless at first, but after digging around, I found a few things we can do to support him:
💬 Raise Awareness
Share Khaman’s story. Post articles. Talk to your friends. Spread the word on social media. Use hashtags like #SupportKhamanMaluach and #LetThemStay to help others learn what’s going on. The more attention this gets, the harder it’ll be to ignore.
🏛️ Contact Your Reps
Reach out to your local, state, and national representatives—even the State Department. Let them know you support international student-athletes like Khaman who contribute positively to American universities.
Not sure what to say? Keep it simple:
“As a constituent, I’m concerned about the possible deportation of Duke student-athlete Khaman Maluach. He deserves the chance to continue his education and career in the U.S. I urge you to take a stand against this unjust policy.”
💡 Support Advocacy Groups
There are organizations fighting for international students and athletes facing immigration challenges. A few worth checking out:
Follow them. Share their resources. Donate if you can.
📣 Let Duke Know We Have His Back
Duke is reportedly working to understand and respond to this policy. Let’s keep the support visible. Reach out, share your concerns, and encourage the university to keep standing by Khaman.
Duke Athletics
📧 irondukes@duke.edu
📞 (919) 613-7575
Duke University Communications
📧 dukenews@duke.edu
📞 (919) 684-2823
Duke International Student Center
📞 (919) 681-3922
Duke Visa Services
📞 (919) 681-8472
When reaching out, just express your support for Khaman and concern over how this policy impacts students like him. Every voice matters.
This is bigger than basketball. It’s about fairness, humanity, and standing up for the people in our community. Khaman isn’t just a student-athlete—he’s a person chasing his dream, and he deserves to feel safe doing it.
Let’s make sure he knows Duke fans are behind him.
Thanks for reading—and please share this with others in the Duke and college basketball world. The more noise we make, the more likely it is that something changes.
Go Duke 💙