On August 7, Aminata Seck was supposed to be on a flight to New York with her Kentucky State University basketball teammates. Instead, federal immigration agents took her into custody at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. More than seven weeks later, the 26-year-old student-athlete, originally from Dakar, Senegal, is fighting an immigration case while her attorneys raise concerns about her health.

Seck, known as Amina on the Thorobreds’ roster, is more than a name in a detention record. The 6-foot-4 center led Kentucky State’s women’s basketball team with 11.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game during the 2025–26 season. She earned third-team All-SIAC honors and the conference’s Elite 16 award, its highest academic recognition for a student-athlete. She was traveling to a New York basketball event with her team when she was detained, according to attorney Sadiqa Reynolds.

The Department of Homeland Security says Seck legally entered the United States in September 2019 but remained after her authorized period of stay expired. The agency says an immigration judge ordered her removal on September 8, 2025, after she failed to appear at a hearing. Reynolds has said Seck may have missed a deadline connected to her student visa while recovering from back surgery.

Her legal team disputes the suggestion that she knowingly ignored an immigration hearing. Attorney Hishem Alsalman told Front Office Sports that Seck says she never received notice of the hearing or the removal order. He said her attorneys filed a motion in immigration court on August 18 to reopen the case. That dispute remains unresolved; a missed hearing and an attorney’s account of missing notice are both central to what happens next.

Seck’s current physical condition has added some urgency to the situation. Reynolds says the athlete has an ACL injury and has been in significant pain while in custody. According to Alsalman, she was moved among four detention facilities, experienced seizures and was hospitalized. DHS says Seck was wearing a leg brace when detained and was referred to a hospital for knee pain on September 21. The agency maintains that people in its custody have access to medical care. The accounts differ on whether Seck received adequate care before that hospital visit.

On September 24, Seck filed a federal petition challenging her detention and seeking emergency relief. A judge set deadlines for the government to respond; the public docket shows a response filed September 28 and a deadline for Seck’s reply on September 30. The filing is just one step in her case, not a ruling ordering her release. DHS has said she will remain in ICE custody while removal proceedings continue.

Kentucky State officials have declined to discuss the case, citing privacy concerns. Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Kentucky has said his office is monitoring the situation. As the legal fight unfolds, the question is no longer only how an accomplished student-athlete ended up in detention on a team travel day. It is whether she can get the care she needs and a fair chance to contest the order that put her there.

Author: Kelvin ers

Read the original article on Essence.