Ex-Syracuse basketball player John Bol Ajak to be deported
New York Post • • sports
Key Points:
- Former Syracuse basketball player John Bol Ajak, 26, will be deported to Sudan after agreeing to a voluntary deportation order during a virtual hearing before an immigration judge in New Jersey.
- The judge ruled that Ajak overstayed his visa, which expired in 2023 following his graduation from Syracuse University, and he remained in the U.S. beyond the allowed 60-day departure period.
- Ajak, currently held at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, expressed a desire to leave the U.S. quickly and return to his family in South Sudan, stating he does not fear for his safety there.
- He was taken into ICE custody on February 18 after multiple arrests since December for resisting arrest and other charges, and he represented himself during the hearing without legal counsel.
- Ajak played three seasons for Syracuse from 2020 to 2023, earned his undergraduate degree in December 2023, and initially came to the U.S. from Kenya in 2014 seeking education and basketball opportunities.
