Aminata Seck released on bond after 2 months in ICE custody — SkimNews
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- Aminata Seck was released on a $2,500 bond Wednesday at the Grayson County Detention Center in Leitchfield, Kentucky, after an immigration judge found she was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.
- Seck was arrested Aug. 7 at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport while traveling to an HBCU all-star game with her basketball coach, and said the hardest part of detention was being held in isolation during her final week.
- DHS said a judge ordered Seck's removal in September 2025 after she missed an immigration hearing; Seck had entered the U.S. legally in 2019 on a temporary basis and overstayed, per the agency.
- A Memphis judge ruled last week that Seck did not receive sufficient notice of the 2025 hearing she missed, a procedural finding that preceded her bond release; her next court date is Nov. 20.
- Seck will soon undergo knee surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus that was postponed during detention; she said at a news conference she is 'ready to go back to school, get my master's and get this surgery done.'
- Attorney Sadiqa Reynolds, who also represents Seck, said: 'There are other people who are not basketball players, and they will not get this kind of attention.'
Why it matters: Seck's release followed a Memphis judge's finding that she was never properly notified of the immigration hearing she missed — a procedural defect that could similarly benefit other detained immigrants. Her Nov. 20 hearing will determine whether she stays in the U.S. after legally entering in 2019. Reynolds' pointed quote exposes the disparity: a college athlete's profile likely drove the public pressure that secured her bond.
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