Amina Seck released from ICE custody on Wednesday, Oct. 7, ending two months in federal immigration detention. The Kentucky State University basketball player posted a $2,500 bond and walked out of the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky, where her family waited, ESPN reported. Her immigration case isn’t over. A judge set her next hearing for Nov. 20. This update follows HBCU Buzz’s earlier reporting on her detention.

Amina Seck Released: How the Case Turned

Immigration agents detained Seck on Aug. 7 at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, as she traveled with her team to a tournament in New York, per WDRB and WAVE. The Department of Homeland Security said an immigration judge had ordered her removed in September 2025 after she missed a hearing.

That order came apart days before her release. A judge in Memphis ruled that Seck never received enough notice of the 2025 hearing. Her attorney, Hishem Alsalman, argued the notice went to an outdated address. The judge reopened her case and rescinded the removal order. Then, on Tuesday, a federal immigration judge granted bond. Her attorneys announced it that day, and she walked out Wednesday. Yahoo Sports reported the judge found she was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.

What Seck Said

Hours after her release, Seck spoke at a news conference. “God is good all the time,” she said through tears. She described spending about a week in isolation because she refused to remove a knee brace she needed for an injury. “Just me and myself, looking at the wall,” she said, with no books or anything to do.

Seck has a torn ACL and meniscus. Her attorneys said she missed a scheduled surgery because she couldn’t get one in custody, and attorney Sadiqa Reynolds said she “did not regularly receive treatment” there. Alsalman said the release finally lets her address her urgent medical needs, including that surgery. He called it “an important victory” for Seck and her supporters, and he noted that she can now pursue her case outside detention while the proceedings continue. Seck’s plan is simple. She said she’s ready to go back to school, finish her master’s, and get the operation done.

The Government’s Position

DHS has maintained that Seck entered the country legally in 2019 and then overstayed her visa. The department didn’t respond to a request for additional comment about the release, WDRB and WAVE reported. Earlier, DHS said she “chose to overstay her welcome” and was in the country illegally, according to Yahoo Sports.

Rep. Morgan McGarvey, a Kentucky Democrat, joined the news conference. He said she has no criminal record and argued her case drew attention because she’s a college athlete, even though others in similar situations may never be heard. Kentucky State has declined to comment on her immigration case, citing privacy. Earlier reports said head coach Amani Williams stayed in contact with Seck throughout, and Reynolds credited that support.

Who Seck Is

Seck is 26 and from Dakar, Senegal. She’s a graduate student and an all-conference center in the SIAC for Kentucky State. Fox News reported she played in 20 games last season, starting 17, and averaged 11.9 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Her case also settles a question that tripped up early coverage. Some initial reports described a torn Achilles, but her attorneys and later reports describe a torn ACL and meniscus.

What Comes Next

Her immigration case remains pending, and she faces a hearing on Nov. 20. ESPN reported she will soon have knee surgery to repair the torn ACL and meniscus. HBCU Buzz hasn’t seen an announcement about when that will happen or when she might return to the court. No announcement about her role this season has surfaced in the reports reviewed.

For HBCU news readers, the larger point is how fast the story changed. In September, her attorney described repeated transfers and unclear medical care. Now Seck is free, back with her family, and focused on healing. What happens at the Nov. 20 hearing will show whether the Amina Seck released headline marks the end of her fight or only a pause in a longer one.