ICE arrests 26-year-old Aminata Seck at Louisville airport
Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel arrested 26-year-old Kentucky State University basketball player Aminata Seck on August 7, 2026, as she prepared for departure at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville. Attorney Sadiqa Reynolds reported that federal agents intercepted the collegiate center directly inside the commercial terminal while she was traveling alongside her university teammates to take part in an organized exhibition athletic tournament scheduled in New York.
Attorney cites missed paperwork deadline and immediate medical need
Reynolds explained that the student-athlete likely missed an administrative immigration documentation deadline during an extended recovery period from an earlier back operation, leaving her experiencing severe physical pain and facing urgent medical requirements for orthopedic surgery to treat a torn Achilles tendon alongside an acute anterior cruciate ligament injury. The defense attorney emphasized that these concurrent leg injuries generate constant discomfort and require direct hospital-level medical supervision while immigration proceedings continue through official government departments. Unresolved healthcare complications surround the ongoing case.
Reynolds directly declared that Seck urgently needs hospital surgery and professional medical treatment following her abrupt apprehension by federal officers inside the flight boarding area in full view of fellow student-athletes.
Federal transfers leave athlete detained across multiple facilities
Federal authorities initially took custody of the athlete in Louisville before orchestrating transfers between detention centers located across Kentucky and a processing site in Chicago. The player’s official records subsequently disappeared from the federal locator database accessible to the general public. Internal paperwork filed at the Grayson County Detention Center continues to list her custody status in direct connection with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Federal agencies and consular officials have declined to specify the underlying administrative infraction cited in the apprehension order.
Kentucky State University confirmed that the 1.93-meter Dakar, Senegal, native remains an active member of its varsity roster and celebrated her selection to the 2026 Elite 16 academic list, though university officials cited strict student privacy mandates to withhold additional commentary regarding her custodial status. She remains in federal custody.
