Former Kenyan NFL Star Daniel Adongo Deported from US After Visa Overstay and Criminal Conviction
Former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Ogama Adongo has been deported to Kenya after US immigration authorities cited an expired visa and a history of criminal offences, bringing a dramatic end to his troubled decade-long stay in America.
Former Kenyan NFL player Daniel Ogama Adongo has been deported from the United States, after immigration authorities said he had overstayed his visa and had a criminal record.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that Adongo, 37, was removed from the country on June 20, 2026, following an immigration judge’s order issued in March.
The case has drawn attention in Kenya because Adongo made history as the first Kenyan to play in the National Football League (NFL) when he joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2013. His professional American football career ended in 2015.
According to ICE, Adongo’s US visa expired in 2016, but he remained in the country without valid immigration status.
“ICE Chicago removed a criminal illegal alien from Kenya and former Indianapolis Colts linebacker,” the agency said in a statement.
ICE identified Adongo as having overstayed his visa after his NFL career ended and said a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered his removal on March 23, 2026. His removal was subsequently carried out on June 20.
Criminal record cited by US authorities
The visa overstay was only part of the case.
US authorities said Adongo had multiple encounters with law enforcement in Indiana over the past decade, including arrests involving allegations of felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct.
ICE also cited a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief involving property damage, for which Adongo was sentenced to 364 days in jail.
His immigration case came amid the Trump administration’s tougher approach to immigration enforcement.
The Laken Riley Act, signed by President Donald Trump on January 29, 2025, expanded mandatory detention requirements for certain noncitizens charged with specified crimes. The Department of Justice subsequently issued guidance on the Act, which added categories of noncitizens subject to mandatory detention.
ICE said Adongo’s most recent criminal case brought him within the scope of the new immigration enforcement framework.
ICE issues warning over deportation
US immigration officials portrayed the deportation as part of a wider effort to enforce immigration laws regardless of a person’s background or previous professional status.
Douglas Thompson, Assistant Field Office Director at ICE Chicago, said Adongo’s removal was necessary to protect the community.
“This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” Thompson said.
He added:
“Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
The remarks underline the Trump administration’s position that professional fame or sporting achievements do not shield noncitizens from immigration enforcement.
From Kenyan rugby to the NFL
Adongo’s deportation marks a stark contrast to the attention surrounding his arrival in American football.
The Kenyan athlete originally came through rugby, having played the sport in South Africa and New Zealand before making the extraordinary transition to American football.
The Indianapolis Colts signed him in 2013, making him the first Kenyan to reach the NFL. He spent parts of the 2013–2015 period with the team and ultimately appeared in five games before his professional football career came to an end.
His journey from Kenyan rugby to one of America’s biggest professional sports leagues was once regarded as a remarkable sporting achievement.
More than a decade later, however, his name has returned to headlines for a dramatically different reason.
Deportation ends lengthy US stay
Adongo’s removal followed years of legal and immigration problems after his NFL career ended.
ICE said the immigration judge issued the removal order in March 2026, with federal authorities subsequently carrying out the deportation on June 20.
The case also highlights the increasingly strict immigration environment under the Trump administration, which has made the enforcement and removal of undocumented immigrants with criminal records a central priority.
For Adongo, the deportation brings his lengthy stay in the United States to an end and returns him to Kenya, the country where his sporting journey began.
His story — from a Kenyan rugby player who broke into the NFL to a former professional athlete deported after an immigration case — represents a dramatic reversal for one of the most unusual sporting careers in Kenyan history.
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