A Mississippi Valley State men’s basketball player has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Qingfang Pang, a junior power forward on the Delta Devils, is in ICE custody at the Richwood Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana, according to the ICE database.
Pang is from China, with a listed hometown of Queens, New York on the official Mississippi Valley State roster.
According to WJTV in Jackson, Mississippi, which broke the story, Pang was detained on Sept. 29 for overstaying his visa.
Pang’s Houston-based attorney, Marcus Session, told WJTV that Pang was in the process of going to New York to be with his sponsor, a family friend, to get his visa
issue sorted out when he was detained by ICE.
🚨 BREAKING: A MVSU men's basketball player has been detained by ICE
— David Edelstein 🌐 (@davidzedelstein) October 8, 2026
Power forward Qingfang Pang is a junior originally from China, listed as having a US hometown in Flushing, Queens
He just transferred in from Monroe U. in NY@ThaoTaTV is first on the story for @WJTV @WHLT22 pic.twitter.com/Adyk29wpPT
The station, citing an unnamed source close to the case, said it’s believed that it’s a delayed paperwork issue with the university. Session had filed a request for an emergency bond hearing.
“He wants to resume going to school,” Session said to WJTV. “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.”
Pang transferred in from Monroe University in New York, where he had played on the school’s basketball team. According to WJTV, he had been at Mississippi Valley State for about a year.
This story will be updated.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mississippi Valley State men's basketball player detained by ICE over visa issue
