Kentucky State’s Aminata Seck freed while another college basketball player lands in ICE custody

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky State University women’s basketball player from Senegal, who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been released after spending two months in custody.

At a hearing on Tuesday, a judge granted a $2,500 bond for Aminata Seck and it was posted Wednesday after ICE did not appeal, according to Hishem Alsalman, managing attorney of Alsalman Law Office.

Meanwhile, a men’s basketball player from Mississippi Valley State has been placed in ICE custody. Qingfang Pang, who is from China, was detained on Sept. 29 and is being held at the Richwood Correctional Facility in Richwood, Louisiana, according to the ICE database.

“Mississippi Valley State University is aware of the situation involving one of our students and is deeply concerned for the student’s well-being,” the school said in a statement. “The student is registered as a full-time student at Mississippi Valley State University. University officials are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to providing appropriate support as circumstances develop.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, under which ICE operates, said in an email that Pang entered the U.S. legally on Nov. 17, 2023 on a temporary basis not to exceed Sept. 5, 2024, but remained in the country beyond that date.

“He accepted voluntary departure and will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” the email read. “This administration will not ignore the rule of law.”

Pang spent the last two seasons at Monroe University in New York before transferring to Mississippi Valley State. The 6-foot-9 Pang averaged 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds at Monroe.

In the Seck case, the judge found that she was not a danger to the community or a flight risk, Alsalman said Thursday.

The judge also ruled that she can continue working toward her degree and praised her for her academic and athletic achievements.

The 26-year-old Seck was detained on Aug. 7 at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport as she was planning to travel with her team to a tournament.

The DHS previously said in a statement that Seck legally entered the United States in 2019, then “chose to overstay her welcome in violation of our nation’s laws.” The agency wrote that an immigration judge had ordered Seck removed a year ago after she failed to appear at an immigration hearing.

Alsalman had previously said that the immigration judge found that Seck did not receive the notice of the prior proceedings.

Seck is from Dakar, Senegal’s capital.

She was named to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference all-conference third team last season after she led her team with 11.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. The 6-foot-4 center had five double-doubles last season and scored a season-high 30 points against Lane College on Jan. 14.

Seck also was named the SIAC Women’s Basketball Elite 16 award winner. The award is the SIAC’s highest academic honor and is presented to student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary performance in sports and the classroom.

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