A men’s basketball player at Mississippi Valley State University has been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Qingfang Pang, an international student from China, was detained on September 29 and is currently held at the Richwood Correctional Facility in Richwood, Louisiana, according to federal immigration records.
“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 stated. “The student is registered as a full-time student at Mississippi Valley State University. University officials are closely monitoring the situation and are committed to providing appropriate support as circumstances develop.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, confirmed that Pang entered the United States legally on November 17, 2023, under a temporary authorization set to expire on September 5, 2024. However, he remained in the country past this deadline.
“He accepted voluntary departure and will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” the agency stated. “This administration will not ignore the rule of law.”
Pang, a 6-foot-9 forward, spent the previous two seasons playing for Monroe University in New York before transferring to Mississippi Valley State. During his time at Monroe, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Pang’s detention marks another instance of an NCAA athlete facing immigration enforcement. Earlier this year, Kentucky State University women’s basketball player Aminata Seck, originally from Dakar, Senegal, was also taken into custody by ICE. Seck was later released from a detention center in Kentucky after an immigration judge determined she posed no danger to the community and was not a flight risk.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Seck entered the U.S. legally in 2019 on a temporary basis and overstayed her permitted time. Federal authorities noted that an immigration judge ordered her removal in September 2025 after she failed to appear at a scheduled hearing.