Senegalese basketball player Amina Seck has been released after several weeks in United States detention. Arrested on 7 August at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport, she has spoken publicly for the first time about the ordeal.
"I just want to say Alhamdoulilah, thank God for everything he did during this trial. I want to thank all the people who helped me and prayed for me. It was hard, but as they say, everything that happens is good," Seck said. She now plans to resume her studies and undergo a scheduled operation. "I am ready to go back to university, get my master's and have my surgery," she told WDRB.
According to WDRB, Seck said she spent roughly a week in isolation after refusing to remove a knee brace she needed for an injury. "Alone in that room, no one else — just me and myself, staring at the wall. No books, nothing," she recounted. During her detention, she also suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a meniscus injury, and missed a planned surgical procedure. Her lawyer Sadiqa Reynolds said Seck "did not receive regular care in detention."
US authorities said an immigration judge issued a final removal order against Seck in September 2025 after she missed an immigration hearing. She had entered the United States legally in 2019 and remained after her visa lapsed. Her immigration file remains open. Seck now intends to focus on her studies, her health and a return to basketball.
