A college basketball player from Senegal has been taken into ICE custody in Louisville as she awaits sorely needed surgery, according to attorney and social justice advocate Sadiqa Reynolds.
As Reynolds posted on Instagram, Kentucky State center Amina Seck may have missed an important immigration deadline due to a previous back surgery. Then, on August 7, she was traveling with the team at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport when she was detained by security, according to Reynolds.
Crucially, Reynolds explained, Seck needs another procedure for a torn Achilles that continues to cause her considerable pain.
‘She needs surgery,’ Reynolds wrote on Instagram. ‘She needs medical attention. She was arrested at the airport while traveling with the team. Kentucky State has done what they can and now we must step up. Thank you Coach [Amani Williams] for all you have done. God bless. Keep praying. Keep fighting.’
A 26-year-old from the Senegalese capital of Dakar, Seck is a graduate student at Kentucky State in Frankfort, according to Reynolds, who told the Louisville Courier-Journal that Kentucky State was traveling to New York for a tournament when the center was arrested.
Reynolds said she received a phone call from Seck on September 16, but the basketball player has since been moved from one Kentucky county to Chicago to two other locations in the Bluegrass State. Currently ICE’s website has no listing for Seck on the department’s detainee locator system, but she is named among the Grayson County Detention Center’s inmates.
A graduate student on a student visa, Kentucky State’s Amina Seck remains in ICE Custody
The Kentucky State University campus in Frankfort is seen during the 2024-25 school year
The Daily Mail has sought comment from ICE officials and athletic department staff at Kentucky State.
It remains unclear what Seck is being charged with. The only thing listed on the Grayson County detention website is: ‘US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY / ICE.’
Seck is originally from Dakar, Senegal
Reynolds told the Courier-Journal that Seck is in ‘so much pain’ due to what’s described in the article as an ‘ACL’ injury. However, in her social media post, Reynolds described the issue as a torn Achilles.
Kentucky State spokespeople declined to comment on the situation when contacted by the Courier-Journal.
‘Out of respect for the privacy of those involved, Kentucky State University does not have information to share,’ a spokesperson said.
Reynolds also credited Williams, Seck’s coach, with going ‘above and beyond’ supporting the player.
‘She has treated her like a mother would treat their child,’ Reynolds said. ‘I think we have to celebrate some of these heroes who have really been behind the scenes doing everything they could possibly do to keep people safe. And even though it maybe hasn’t worked … nobody should have to do all of this.’
