US immigration authorities have deported former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Adongo to Kenya after an immigration judge ordered his removal….reports Africa Daily News Desk
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Ogama Adongo to Kenya after an immigration judge ordered his removal following a visa overstay and a series of criminal convictions.
Adongo, 37, was removed from the United States on June 20 after a Department of Justice immigration judge issued a removal order on March 23, 2026. According to ICE, the former NFL player remained in the country after his visa expired in 2016, a year after his professional football career ended.
ICE said Adongo had been arrested multiple times by law enforcement in Indiana over the past nine years on charges including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct. He was convicted of criminal mischief causing property damage in 2020 and sentenced to 364 days in jail.
His most recent criminal charges fell under the Laken Riley Act, a federal law signed by US President Donald Trump on January 29, 2025. The legislation requires the detention without bond of undocumented immigrants accused of certain offences. The law was introduced after the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been cited for shoplifting in Georgia.
Commenting on the deportation, ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said: “This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed. Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
Adongo, who was originally recruited from rugby, played for the Indianapolis Colts between 2013 and 2015 before leaving the NFL.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the deportation formed part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement efforts targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
In a statement, DHS said law enforcement agencies had prioritised the arrest and removal of undocumented immigrants accused or convicted of crimes in the United States. The department added that nearly 70 per cent of ICE arrests involve individuals charged with or convicted of criminal offences and reiterated its commitment to enforcing US immigration laws.
