Syracuse basketball alum John Bol Ajak accepts voluntary deportation after month in ICE custody

Former Syracuse men’s basketball player John Bol Ajak agreed to voluntary deport himself to his home country of Sudan after spending more than a month in federal custody, according to Syracuse.com. Ajak, who played under legendary former Orange head coach Jim Boeheim between 2020-23, has been held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since his Feb. 18 arrest, per Syracuse.com.

The 26-year-old Ajak, who reportedly overstayed an immigration visa that expired in 2023, accepted the option to voluntarily deport during a virtual immigration hearing Thursday in New Jersey, according to Syracuse.com. Ajak was given the option of either leaving on his own or receiving a government-mandated deportation order, and reportedly requested to leave the U.S. as quickly as possible.

“If this is how I’m leaving, I never want to step foot in this country again,” Ajak said in court Thursday, via Syracuse.com.

A voluntary deportation lets an undocumented noncitizen leave the U.S. at their own expense to avoid a formal removal order and allows the individual to maintain eligibility for future legal entry, according to the Department of Justice website. Not that the 6-foot-10 former Syracuse center has any plans to return.

Ajak reportedly told the immigration judge he planned to return to Pawuoi Payam in Twic East County, South Sudan, where other members of his family currently live, according to Syracuse.com. Ajak represented himself during the digital hearing and did not accept legal representation.

Ajak, who fled his home country of South Sudan as an infant due to civil conflicts for Kenya, initially moved to the U.S. as a teenager, and lived with a host family in Pennsylvania. He later committed to Syracuse in 2019 and played three seasons as a backup center under Boeheim until his 2023 graduation.

“It was just overwhelmingly sad when I heard he got taken,” Boeheim told Syracuse.com on March 5. “They’re taking good people out of our country.”

Ajak was arrested by ICE on Feb. 18 after being released from jail on a pretrial release, per Syracuse.com. According to court records, Ajak had been arrested four times around Syracuse University since mid-December on charges including trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Ajak has been held at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, according to Syracuse.com.

Prior to his arrest, Ajak reportedly lacked a stable housing situation and was staying with a relative when he was taken into ICE custody, per Syracuse.com. It is unclear when Ajak will ultimately be deported.