Former NFL player Daniel Adongo deported to Kenya by ICE
TheGrio...
The former Indianapolis Colts linebacker, who became the first Kenyan to play in the NFL, was removed after ICE said he overstayed his visa.
Former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Adongo has been deported to Kenya by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after an immigration judge ordered his removal; he was deported on June 20, years after ICE says his visa expired in 2016.
ICE announced the removal in a news release. The agency said a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Adongo removed on March 23, 2026. Before being returned to Kenya, he was held at Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana.
Adongo moved to the United States in 2013 after signing with the Colts despite having no previous experience playing organized American football. The Nairobi-born athlete had played professional rugby in South Africa and New Zealand before changing sports. His signing made him the first Kenyan to play in the NFL.
He appeared in five games over two seasons, mainly as a linebacker and special-teams player, before Indianapolis released him in December 2015.
ICE cited Adongo’s legal record while announcing the former Colts linebacker’s removal. He had been arrested on charges including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct. In 2020, he was convicted of misdemeanor criminal mischief with damage and sentenced to 364 days in jail.
Daniel Adongo’s most recent charges fell under detention requirements in the Laken Riley Act, which requires federal authorities to detain certain noncitizens accused of specified offenses
Adongo’s family has said he experienced serious mental health struggles after his professional sports career. People, citing the Indianapolis Star, reported that a judge found him incompetent following a psychiatric evaluation in 2017 and that he received treatment at a psychiatric facility.
Adongo’s deportation comes amid broader concern about how immigration enforcement affects Black migrants. A recent TheGrio analysis found that Black immigrants face deportation at rates far higher than their share of the undocumented population and account for a disproportionate percentage of reported abuse in ICE custody.