International Student-Athletes Face ICE Detentions

Two college basketball players have recently faced detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as The Guardian first reported.

A judge granted a $2,500 bond on Tuesday for Aminata Seck, a 26-year-old center from Senegal playing for Kentucky State University. Seck, who earned the SIAC Women’s Basketball Elite 16 academic honor and was named to the SIAC all-conference third team last season, had been in custody since August 7. According to Hishem Alsalman of Alsalman Law Office, a judge ruled Seck was not a flight risk or a danger to the community. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously stated Seck entered the U.S. legally in 2019 but overstayed her welcome and failed to appear at an immigration hearing a year prior.

Simultaneously, Qingfang Pang, a 6ft 9in forward from China playing for Mississippi Valley State University, was taken into ICE custody on September 29. A DHS spokesperson stated Pang entered the U.S. on November 17, 2023, but stayed past his authorization date of September 5, 2024. Pang is currently held at the Richwood Correctional Facility in Louisiana pending removal.

Mississippi Valley State University issued a statement confirming Pang is a full-time student and stating the school is "deeply concerned for the student’s well-being." Before joining Mississippi Valley State, Pang spent two seasons playing for Monroe University in New York.