Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have detained one of Mississippi Valley State University’s NCAA players. The incident adds to the list of recently detained young athletes in the United States.
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Qingfang Pang, a 6-foot-9 junior power forward for the Delta Devils, was taken into custody by the authorities on September 29, 2026. Reports suggest that the young Chinese athlete was flying from Jackson, Mississippi, to his visa sponsor in New York.
This was after Pang learned from the University that his student visa had expired, as reported by Front Office Sports. The Mississippi Valley State University released a statement once the news reached its offices.
“Mississippi Valley State University is aware of the situation involving one of our students and is deeply concerned for the student’s well-being,” the university told Front Office Sports.
“University officials are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to providing appropriate support as circumstances develop.”
FOS suggested that ICE had detained the student at the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. His attorney, Marcus Session, is seemingly in the process of securing a bond to get him out of his detention.
“He wants to resume going to school,” Session told WJTV 12 in a statement. “He wants to play college basketball. He wants to be a 21-year-old kid who’s just trying to make a life for himself.”
Pang is a powerful NCAA player who was a 3-star recruit. He had offers from several institutions, including Oregon, Michigan, Rutgers, and Seton Hall. However, he ultimately decided to transfer to the Delta Devils team under coach Mike Davis.
The case isn’t entirely isolated. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities also recently detained Aminata Seck and Deng Deng too.
ICE Detention of Young NCAA Players Continues
On August 7, 2026, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities took Aminata Seck into custody at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. At the time, Seck was travelling with her Kentucky State University basketball teammates to New York for a game.
The authorities released her on October 7, 2026, two months after she was taken into custody. The price of her bond was $2,500. She was released after a September 30, 2026, ruling by an immigration judge. The ruling allowed Seck’s attorney to argue her case.
Aminata Seck’s case was somewhat more gut-wrenching. She was moved from one facility to another while in detention. In fact, the athlete was still dealing with an ACL injury during the process. Her attorney, Sadiqa Reynolds, suggested that her condition had worsened at one point, as she suffered from seizures and had to be hospitalized during detention.
Similarly, ICE had also detained Southern Connecticut State University’s NCAA player Deng Deng at Tweed New Haven Airport in September 2026. Deng, originally from Aweil, South Sudan, entered the United States legally.
Like Pang, Deng also overstayed his visa. He was then released 12 days later after a ruling by a federal judge. As for Pang, Session is still awaiting his bond.
“He’s tired of being detained,” he told WJTV 12 News. “He’s tired, you know, of feeling that he’s a criminal. And that’s what he expressed.” It is currently unknown how long Pang will have to remain in detention. His case is pending approval.