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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 taken into custody on Feb. 18 and agreed to a deportation order on Thursday, according to Syracuse.com.
The outlet reported that Ajak had been given the option of either voluntary departure or a deportation order, and he chose the latter. The U.S. government pays for the deportation order, while voluntarily leaving 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 JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on Jan. 14, 2023. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“If this is how I’m leaving, I never want to step 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 JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, New York, on Dec. 10, 2022. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
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He was arrested four times from December until being placed in ICE custody for trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He admitted on Thursday that he had been in the country illegally after his F-1 student visa had expired, which also resulted in him not being able to attend the Newhouse School of Public Communications at the university.
Ajak came to the United States from Kenya in 2014 to pursue and education and basketball opportunities in Pennsylvania, and played for the Orange from 2020 through 2023 under Jim Boeheim.
John Bol Ajak of Syracuse 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, Ind., on March 19, 2021. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he played in 35 games, registering 234 total minutes among one start. He scored 21 career points 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 an infant during the country’s civil war.
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