Kentucky State basketball player Aminata Seck in ICE custody pending removal: DHS
Seck has been in ICE custody since Aug. 7, according to federal officials.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are moving forward with removal proceedings against Kentucky State University basketball player Aminata "Amina" Seck, who was taken into federal custody last month, authorities said.
The 26-year-old from Senegal was arrested by ICE agents on Aug. 7 at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, according to Sadiqa Reynolds, an attorney assisting in Seck's case.
Reynolds said Seck was taken into custody as she was about to travel to New York with her teammates to a basketball tournament involving other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
"She is not a criminal," Reynolds said in a statement on Facebook.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that Seck was in the country illegally and that an immigration judge issued a final order of removal on Sept. 8, 2025, after she failed to show up at her immigration hearing.
"She will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings," DHS said.
Seck legally entered the country on Sept. 1, 2019, in Los Angeles, on a temporary basis, according to DHS.
"She chose to overstay her welcome in violation of our country's laws," DHS said. "To be clear: a pending application or work authorization does NOT confer legal status in the United States."
Reynolds could not immediately be reached on Thursday for comment. The attorney told the Louisville Courier Journal that Seck might have missed the deadline to renew her student visa because she was undergoing back surgery, and was nursing a knee injury.
At the time of her arrest in August, Seck was wearing a leg brace and has since been receiving medical treatment, according to DHS.
Reynolds said in a social media post on her Facebook page on Tuesday that she last spoke to Seck on Sept. 15, adding that at the time, Seck complained of being in a lot of pain.
Reynolds told Courier Journal that neither she nor Seck's family and friends have been able to see her in person since she was detained.
"I pray that her chains are removed and she is able to receive the medical treatment she deserves and then released to recover fully," Reynolds said in her Facebook post.
According to online records, Seck is being held at the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky.
DHS said in its statement that Seck was referred on Sept. 21 to a hospital, where she is receiving treatment for knee pain. The department noted that it's "a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care" to people in its custody.
"This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care," DHS said.
Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Kentucky, whose district includes Louisville, said in a statement that he has been monitoring Seck's situation.
"Aminata is a student-athlete who was arrested by ICE at the airport while traveling with her teammates," McGarvey said. "The Trump administration's cruelty knows no bounds, but we will never let this become normal and we won't stop fighting for her."
Seck was named to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference (SIAC) Third Team last season, according to the Kentucky State University Athletic Department's website. She was also named the SIAC Women's Basketball Elite 16 award winner, which is presented to student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary performance in athletics and the classroom.
The university declined to comment on Seck's case, saying, "Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, Kentucky State University does not have information to share."
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