Former Syracuse basketball player to be deported after spending weeks in ICE custody

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A former Syracuse basketball player is being deported to Sudan after spending several weeks in ICE custody.

John Bol Ajak was taken into custody Feb. 18 and agreed to a deportation order Thursday, according to Syracuse.com.

The outlet reported that Ajak had been given the option of either voluntary departure or a deportation order, and he chose the latter. 

The U.S. government pays for the deportation order, while voluntarily leaving allows eligibility for future entry.

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John Bol Ajak of the Syracuse Orange reacts during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 14, 2023. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

"If this is how I’m leaving, I never want to step foot in this country again," Ajak said.

Ajak was held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Pennsylvania, and had been living in Syracuse.

John Bol Ajak of the Syracuse Orange prepares to play against the Georgetown Hoyas during the first half at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., Dec. 10, 2022. (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

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He was arrested four times between December and when he was placed in ICE custody for trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. He admitted Thursday he had been in the country illegally after his F-1 student visa had expired, which also resulted in him not being able to attend the Newhouse School of Public Communications at the university.

Ajak came to the United States from Kenya in 2014 to pursue an education