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.
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 Department of Homeland Security, under which ICE operates, 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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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
