Former Syracuse basketball player to be deported to Sudan
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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 the deportation order on Thursday, Syracuse.com reported.
Exit He informed Ajak that the decision had been made to either leave voluntarily or be deported, and that he had chosen the latter. While the U.S. government covers the costs of the deportation order, leaving voluntarily allows eligibility for future entry into the country.
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Syracuse Orange’s John Bol Ajak reacts in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the JMA Wireless Dome on January 14, 2023 in Syracuse, New York. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“If I go like this, 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 was living in Syracuse.
Syracuse Orange’s John Bol Ajak prepares to play against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome on December 10, 2022 in Syracuse, New York. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
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He was arrested four times from December until he was placed in ICE custody for trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He admitted Thursday that he entered the country illegally after his F-1 student visa expired, which led to him being unable to attend 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 under Jim Boeheim from 2020 to 2023.
Syracuse’s John Bol Ajak celebrates after the team’s victory over 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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Standing 6 feet tall and weighing 215 pounds, he played in 35 games and logged 234 total minutes in a single start. He scored 21 points, had 43 rebounds, 26 assists and 27 personal fouls in his career.
Ajak was born in South Sudan, but his family fled to Kenya when he was a baby during the country’s civil war.
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