Key Takeaways
- Kentucky State basketball player Aminata Seck was released from ICE custody after two months.
- An immigration judge found that Seck was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.
- Seck’s immigration case remains ongoing, and her next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.
Aminata Seck is finally free. On Wednesday (Oct. 7), after spending two months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, the Kentucky State University women’s basketball player was released on a $2,500 bond.
According to ESPN, the 26-year-old was met by family members outside Leitchfield’s Grayson County Detention Center. An immigration judge granted her bond after finding that “she is neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.”
Later that day, Seck — who was joined by her attorney, Hishem Alsalman — spoke at a news conference, where she stressed that she’s “just ready to go back to school” to complete her master’s degree and undergo knee surgery for her torn ACL and meniscus.
“I just want to thank God for everything, for this journey, and I want to say thanks to everybody who helped me and prayed for me,” Seck told reporters. “I know it was tough, but you know what they say: God is good all the time. So, yeah, God is good.” Watch the video below, then continue scrolling to learn more about her arrest.
What we know about Aminata Seck’s immigration case
Seck was taken into custody on Aug. 7 at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport while preparing to travel with her basketball coach to an HBCU all-star game. The Department of Homeland Security — the agency that oversees ICE — previously claimed that she legally entered the United States in 2019 before overstaying “her welcome in violation of our nation’s laws.”
DHS also said that a judge ordered Seck to be removed last year after she missed an immigration hearing. Alsalman, however, said the basketball player never received any notice in the first place. An immigration judge reopened Seck's case and rescinded her previous removal order after finding she hadn't received sufficient notice of the hearing.
"There are other people who are not basketball players, and they will not get this kind of attention," Sadiqa Reynolds, who also represents Seck, said. "We owe ourselves better than this." With her immigration case still ongoing, the student-athlete’s next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20.