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A former Syracuse basketball player is being deported to Sudan after spending several weeks in ICE custody.
John Bol Ajak was detained on February 18 and accepted a deportation order on Thursday, according to Syracuse.com.
The outlet reported that Ajak had been given the option of voluntary departure or a deportation order, and he chose the latter. The US government pays for the deportation order, while voluntary departure allows eligibility for future entry.
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John Bol Ajak of the Syracuse Orange reacts during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on January 14, 2023. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“If this is how I’m leaving, I never want to set foot in this country again,” Ajak said.
Ajak was held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pennsylvania, and had been living in Syracuse.
John Bol Ajak of the Syracuse Orange prepares to play against the Georgetown Hoyas during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on December 10, 2022. (Isaías Vázquez/Getty Images)
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He was arrested four times from December until being taken into ICE custody for criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He admitted Thursday that he had been in the country illegally after his F-1 student visa expired, which also prevented him from attending the university’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Ajak came to the United States from Kenya in 2014 to pursue educational and basketball opportunities in Pennsylvania, and played for the Orange from 2020 to 2023 under Jim Boeheim.
Syracuse’s John Bol Ajak celebrates after the team’s victory against San Diego State in the first round of the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 19, 2021. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he played in 35 games, logging 234 total minutes between one start. He scored 21 points in his career and had 43 rebounds, 26 assists and 27 personal fouls.
Ajak was born in South Sudan, but his family fled to Kenya when he was a baby during the country’s civil war.
