US Announces Deportation of Former Football Player, Details Reason for His Removal
· YEN.com.gh News · Join- US Department of Homeland Security announced the deportation of former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Adongo on July 25
- Adongo, a Kenyan national, overstayed his visa in 2016 and accumulated multiple arrests in the US over the following decade
- ICE Chicago invoked the Laken Riley Act to detain and remove Adongo, citing his criminal convictions as grounds for deportation
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The US Department of Homeland Security has announced the deportation of Daniel Ogama Adongo, a 37-year-old Kenyan national and former NFL linebacker, following a series of criminal offences committed during his time in the United States.
Source: Getty Images
Adongo was removed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents based in Chicago. ICE confirmed the operation exclusively to Fox News Digital on July 25.
Adongo's criminal record in the US
Adongo first arrived in the United States as a recruited rugby player before going on to play two seasons as a linebacker with the Indianapolis Colts between 2013 and 2015.
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After his NFL career ended, he overstayed his visa in 2016, placing him in violation of US immigration law.
Over the following decade, authorities recorded multiple arrests against him, including charges of criminal mischief with damage, felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct.
His 2020 conviction for criminal mischief with damage resulted in a sentence of one year in jail.
Under the Laken Riley Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump, individuals present in the country illegally who have been convicted of certain crimes are required to be detained without bond, making Adongo subject to mandatory detention and subsequent removal.
ICE defends the decision
ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson issued a statement defending the deportation:
"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."
The Department of Homeland Security also addressed the case directly on its official social media account, describing Adongo as a criminal and stating that communities are "SAFER" following his removal from the country.
Adongo's deportation comes as the Trump administration continues to intensify immigration enforcement across the United States, with the Laken Riley Act serving as a central legislative tool in those efforts.
Below is the X post by the DHS on the deportation of Daniel Adongo.
Man deported after 10 months in detention
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a man who claimed to have spent 10 months in an ICE detention centre had been deported.
Known on TikTok as @ayomifull_, he detailed his time in ICE detention before his deportation to Nigeria in February this year.
According to him, he was picked up when ICE operations were at their peak and described the living conditions at the detention facility as harsh.
Source: YEN.com.gh