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Weeks after Kentucky State women’s basketball player Aminata Seck was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security has explained why it took her into custody.
A DHS spokesperson said Seck missed an immigration hearing and was issued a final removal order last year.
But Seck’s attorney tells Front Office Sports that Seck says she never got notice of that hearing or the removal order.
On Aug. 7, ICE detained Seck, a 6-foot-4 center from Dakar, Senegal, at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.
Her situation was first reported last week by The Courier Journal, which interviewed a lawyer involved in Seck’s case, Sadiqa Reynolds. She told the outlet that Seck was detained while traveling with her team to a tournament in New York, that the 26-year-old may have missed a student visa deadline due to back surgery, and that she had been having trouble receiving medical attention for an ACL injury while in custody. Reynolds later told USA Today that Seck’s student visa had expired.
In a statement to FOS on Wednesday night, a DHS spokesperson said Seck had been issued a final order of removal last year on Sept. 8 after she didn’t appear at an immigration hearing.
“She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said.
Seck’s attorney overseeing her federal habeas corpus petition, Hishem Alsalman, told FOS on Thursday that his client “maintains that she never received notice of the hearing that resulted” in that Sept. 8, 2025, order. He said this lack of notice is why her legal team filed a motion that remains pending on Aug. 18, 2026, in Memphis Immigration Court to reopen and rescind the order.
“Aminata was not aware that she had ever been placed in removal proceedings, nor was she aware that an immigration judge had entered an in absentia removal order against her,” Alsalman said. “Far from knowingly ignoring her immigration obligations, she was actively taking steps to ensure that her student status remained intact while continuing her education at Kentucky State University.”
Alsalman said Seck has been transferred between four detention facilities over the past month or so, which has made it challenging for her lawyers to keep good contact with her, especially regarding her health. He said Seck has experienced seizures during her detainment and is currently in the hospital receiving treatment.
The DHS statement said Seck was referred to a hospital for knee pain on Sept. 21—six weeks after she was detained.
The DHS spokesperson also said Seck “chose to overstay her welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” and that “being in detention is a choice.”
Alsalman called DHS’s language “deeply troubling” and said it “does not reflect the reality” of Seck’s case. “These are not circumstances that Aminata chose for herself,” he said.
Seck started most games for Kentucky State during the 2025–26 season, averaging more than 11 points and 7 rebounds per game. She scored 30 points while grabbing 11 rebounds in a game in January.
Kentucky State declined to comment. “Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, Kentucky State University does not have information to share,” a spokesperson said.
Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D., Ky.) issued a statement about Seck. “The Trump administration’s cruelty knows no bounds but we will never let this become normal and we won’t stop fighting for her,” McGarvey said.
Before Kentucky State, Seck played at Oklahoma HBCU Langston University, Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas, and NJCAA school Northwest Kansas Technical College.
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