Senegalese Basketball Player Detained by ICE While Traveling with Team

Aminata Seck, a Kentucky State University basketball player, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on August 7, international media reported on Monday. Her defense team suggests the athlete may have missed a student visa deadline while recovering from surgery.

The 26-year-old Senegalese basketball player was apprehended at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville as she prepared to travel with her NCAA team to a tournament in New York. The detention was carried out by ICE, the federal agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

According to her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, the situation might stem from Aminata Seck missing a deadline related to her student visa. The athlete had recently undergone back surgery and was in a recovery period.

The defense further emphasized that the player requires additional medical care and is awaiting another operation, this time on her knee, to address an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

“She needs surgery. She needs medical care. She was arrested at the airport while traveling with her team,” her attorney stated.

Sadiqa Reynolds also reported that Seck has been consistently transferred between detention centers in Kentucky and Chicago. Although her name does not appear in ICE's detainee locator system, her presence is confirmed on the Grayson County Detention Center roster.

Kentucky State University confirmed that Seck is an active player on the team but declined to comment on the case, citing privacy concerns.