Kentucky State basketball player released after two months in ICE custody

A Kentucky State University women’s basketball player from Senegal who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been released after spending two months in custody.At a hearing on Tuesday, a judge granted Aminata Seck a $2,500 bond, which was posted on Wednesday after ICE did not appeal, according to Hishem Alsalman, managing attorney at Alsalman Law Office.The judge found that Seck was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk, Alsalman said on Thursday.The judge also ruled that she could continue working towards her degree and praised her academic and athletic achievements.Seck, 26, was detained on 7 August at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport as she was preparing to travel with her team to a tournament.The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, previously said in a statement that Seck had legally entered the United States in 2019 but then “chose to overstay her welcome in violation of our nation’s laws”. The agency said an immigration judge had ordered Seck’s removal a year earlier after she failed to appear at an immigration hearing.Alsalman previously said an immigration judge had found that Seck did not receive notice of the earlier proceedings.Seck is from Dakar, Senegal’s capital.She was named to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) all-conference third team last season after leading her team with 11.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. The 6ft 4in center recorded five double-doubles and scored a season-high 30 points against Lane College on 14 January.Seck was also named the winner of the SIAC Women’s Basketball Elite 16 award, the conference’s highest academic honor, presented to student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary performance in sport and the classroom.