A second HBCU basketball player is making headlines over immigration detention, just as another student-athlete celebrates her release from federal custody.
Qingfang Pang, a 21-year-old basketball player at Mississippi Valley State University, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on September 29 after allegedly overstaying his student visa.
According to WJTV 12 News in Jackson, Mississippi, Pang is being held at an ICE detention facility in Louisiana while his attorney attempts to secure an emergency bond hearing.
Pang, whose nationality is listed as United States/China by basketball database RealGM, is a 6-foot-9 forward who joined the HBCU after playing junior college basketball at Monroe University in New York.
His detention comes during an increasingly concerning period for international college athletes navigating immigration proceedings in the United States.
HBCU basketball player’s attorney questions visa situation
Attorney Marcus Session, who represents Pang, told WJTV that his client apparently did not realize his student visa had expired.
According to Session, Pang was attempting to return to New York, where a longtime family friend and sponsor had helped support him during his time in the United States.
Pang was detained while attempting to travel to New York.
WJTV reported that a source familiar with the situation believes a delay involving university paperwork may have contributed to the problem. However, that explanation has not been independently confirmed.
Session said his client has struggled with the experience of being detained.
“He’s tired of being detained. He’s tired, you know, of feeling that he’s a criminal. And that’s what he expressed,” Session told WJTV.
The attorney has requested an emergency bond hearing but said the court had not yet acted on that request.
Pang is reportedly seeking to reinstate his student visa, which could potentially allow him to continue his education and basketball career.
At the time of WJTV’s report, Mississippi Valley State had not responded to the station’s request for comment.
Another ICE case involving an HBCU athlete
The news arrives just one day after Kentucky State University women’s basketball player Aminata Seck was released from ICE detention.
Seck, a native of Senegal, spent 61 days in federal immigration custody after being detained at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on August 7.
She was traveling with her basketball team when immigration authorities detained her.
Following legal proceedings, an immigration judge granted Seck a $2,500 bond. She was released on Wednesday, October 7.
Her case drew attention to the uncertainty international student-athletes can face when immigration paperwork and athletic schedules intersect.
Now, Pang’s situation raises additional questions about what support universities provide international athletes when maintaining their immigration status.
Mississippi Valley State, located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level.
Pang is listed as a junior on the Delta Devils’ 2026–27 roster under head coach Mike Davis. Before arriving at Mississippi Valley State, he helped Monroe University reach the NJCAA national basketball tournament.
For now, his basketball future remains uncertain.
Session said Pang wants the opportunity to appear before an immigration judge, return to school and continue playing basketball.
“He wants to resume going to school. He wants to play college basketball. He wants to be a 21-year-old kid who’s just trying to make a life for himself,” Session told WJTV.
Unlike Seck, who has now been released, Pang remains in custody according to the latest available reporting.
His case represents another developing immigration story involving an HBCU student-athlete, with questions still unanswered about the circumstances that led to his detention.