Former National Football League (NFL) player Daniel Adongo, originally from Kenya, has been deported from the United States. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that the 37-year-old was removed from the country on 20 June 2026, following an order to leave issued on 23 March 2026. The agency cited an overstayed visa, which expired in 2016, and multiple arrests for various offences as reasons for his removal.
Adongo, who played as a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts for two seasons, made headlines in 2013 when he transitioned from rugby to American football without prior experience in the sport. However, his life post-NFL has been marked by legal troubles. According to ICE, he had been arrested numerous times over the past decade for crimes including felony intimidation, battery, and disorderly conduct. In 2020, he was convicted of 'criminal mischief with damage' and sentenced to 364 days in prison.
His legal challenges also involved mental health concerns. Reports from the US newspaper, the Indianapolis Star, indicate that Adongo spent time in a psychiatric hospital. After being charged with intimidation and criminal mischief in 2017, a judge ordered a psychiatric examination to assess his fitness to stand trial. He was subsequently ruled incompetent and admitted to a psychiatric facility, leading to multiple reschedulings of his trial after failing further psychiatric evaluations.
ICE labelled Adongo a "dangerous individual," with Douglas Thompson, ICE Chicago assistant field office director, stating that the community is now safer following his removal. The agency added that Adongo's most recent charges fell under the Laken Riley Act, a US law signed by President Donald Trump on 29 January 2025. This act mandates that undocumented immigrants arrested for theft or violent crimes are held in prison pending trial. The bill is named after Laken Riley, a Georgian nursing student murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan man in 2024.
The specific destination of Adongo's deportation has not been publicly disclosed, and he has not commented on the allegations against him. This case highlights the strict enforcement of immigration laws in the US, regardless of an individual's past public profile. The US Department of Homeland Security website indicates that over 40 Kenyans have been arrested by ICE in recent times, underscoring a broader pattern of immigration enforcement.