Former Syracuse Basketball Player, 26, Detained by ICE While Couch Surfing Due to Homelessness: ‘Overwhelmingly Sad,’ Coach Says
Former Syracuse Basketball Player, 26, Detained by ICE While Couch Surfing Due to Homelessness: ‘Overwhelmingly Sad,’ Coach Says
Escher WalcottSat, March 7, 2026 at 3:24 PM UTC
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John Bol AjakCredit: Bryan Bennett/Getty -
A former Syracuse University basketball player has allegedly been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
John Bol Ajak, who played basketball at Syracuse University from 2020 to 2023, fled South Sudan as a child
In the months before he was detained by ICE, Ajak, 26, had been arrested multiple times for alleged trespassing and disorderly conduct
A former Syracuse University basketball player has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
John Bol Ajak was recently arrested in Syracuse, N.Y., where he lives, and taken to the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility. He is now being held at ICE’s Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, The Post-Standard reported, citing ICE records.
Ajak, 26, lived in a refugee camp in Kenya after his family fled Natinga, South Sudan, when he was a child, according to the outlet. He had the opportunity to come to the U.S. at age 14 after attending a basketball camp.
He later attended Syracuse University, where he played on the men’s basketball team from 2020 to 2023, per Syracuse University Athletics.
“It was just overwhelmingly sad when I heard he got taken. They’re taking good people out of our country,” Ajak’s head coach, Jim Boeheim, told The Post-Standard.
John Bol AjakCredit: Bryan Bennett/Getty
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Ajak's detainment comes after he was arrested four times for alleged disorderly conduct and trespassing at the Newhouse School, where he used to study.
The dates of his arrests were on Dec. 17, Jan. 30, Jan. 31 and Feb. 18, The Post-Standard reported, citing police records.
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It is not known if Ajak’s detainment is linked to his prior arrests.
Ajak was released from jail after his Feb. 18 arrest on a pretrial release. He missed a scheduled court appearance in City Court on Feb. 23 in connection with the trespassing charge and was issued a bench warrant, reported The Post-Standard, citing the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO).
In the weeks leading up to his ICE detainment, Ajak was homeless and trying to get back into grad school after his student visa had expired, per The Post-Standard.
The Department of Homeland Security sealCredit: Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via Getty
"I’m so grateful for the opportunity I got to come to the U.S. to chase my dreams at a young age," Ajak wrote on his LinkedIn.
He added, "The best way to show my appreciation for my opportunity is to create more opportunities for others, especially in my neighborhood in Africa."
The basketball player also spoke about his "passion is to give back to the less fortunate" after he started TheHumBolFund, a fundraiser to support young children in Africa.
"I would love to work with the UN to help create opportunities for the next generation of kids in Africa," said Ajak.
PEOPLE has contacted ICE, the Syracuse Men’s Basketball Team and the OCSO for comment but did not receive immediate responses on Saturday, March 7.
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Source: “AOL Sports”
