MVSU basketball player from China in ICE custody — SkimNews
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- Qingfang Pang, a 6-foot-9 men's basketball player at Mississippi Valley State originally from China, was taken into ICE custody on Sept. 29 and is being held at the Richwood Correctional Facility in Louisiana.
- Department of Homeland Security said Pang entered the U.S. legally on Nov. 17, 2023, on a temporary basis not to exceed Sept. 5, 2024, but remained in the country past that date; he accepted voluntary departure and will remain in ICE custody pending removal.
- Mississippi Valley State University said it is 'deeply concerned for the student's well-being' and confirmed Pang is registered as a full-time student, with university officials 'closely monitoring the situation.'
- Pang spent the prior two seasons at Monroe University in New York, where he averaged 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds, before transferring to Mississippi Valley State.
- Aminata Seck, a Kentucky State University women's basketball player from Dakar, Senegal, was taken into ICE custody two months ago and released on bond this week after an immigration judge ruled she was neither a danger to the community nor a flight risk.
- DHS said Seck entered the U.S. legally in 2019 on a temporary basis, overstayed, and had a removal ordered in September 2025 after she missed an immigration hearing.
Why it matters: Pang's case is the second NCAA athlete detention by ICE in roughly two months, putting international college athletes on notice that visa overstays carry real consequences even mid-season. For Division I programs recruiting abroad, the two back-to-back cases raise the operational cost of hosting non-citizen players who risk in-season removal.
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