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A former Syracuse basketball player is deported to Sudan after spending several weeks in ICE custody.
John Bol Ajak was arrested Feb. 18 and accepted a deportation order Thursday, according to Syracuse.com.
The outlet reported that Ajak was given the choice between voluntary departure or a deportation order, and he chose the latter.
The U.S. government pays the deportation order, while voluntary departure allows eligibility for future entry.
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Syracuse Orange’s John Bol Ajak reacts during the second half against Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY on January 14, 2023. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
“If this is how I leave, I never want to set foot in this country again,” Ajak said.
Ajak was being held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pennsylvania, and 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, NY on December 10, 2022. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
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He was arrested four times between December and when he was taken into 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 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 education and basketball opportunities in Pennsylvania and played for the Orange from 2020-2023 under coach 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 Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on March 19, 2021. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
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At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he played in 35 games. 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 a child during the country’s civil war.
