NAIROBI — Former Kenyan rugby international and ex-NFL linebacker Daniel Adongo has been deported from the United States after immigration authorities determined that he had overstayed his visa and was convicted of a criminal offence, according to Business Insider Africa.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed the 37-year-old from the United States on June 20 following a deportation order issued by a Department of Justice immigration judge in March.
According to Business Insider Africa, citing ICE and Fox 59, Adongo remained in the United States after his visa expired in 2016. Federal authorities said his criminal conviction and immigration status made him a priority for enforcement under current U.S. immigration laws.
Adongo could not immediately be reached by Business Insider Africa for comment.
Criminal Conviction Led to Removal
Federal authorities said Adongo was convicted in 2020 of criminal mischief involving property damage and was sentenced to 364 days in jail.
ICE also stated that Adongo had been arrested several times in Indiana over a nine-year period on allegations including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct. However, authorities did not indicate that all of those arrests resulted in convictions.
“This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed,” ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director Douglas Thompson said in a statement.
“Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes.”
According to Business Insider Africa, ICE said Adongo’s detention was mandated under the Laken Riley Act, legislation signed by President Donald Trump that expanded mandatory detention requirements for certain undocumented immigrants accused or convicted of qualifying offences.
The agency said Adongo’s case formed part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions.
From African Rugby to the NFL
Before his legal troubles, Adongo was regarded as one of Africa’s most remarkable sporting success stories.
The Nairobi-born athlete attended the University of Pretoria and developed his rugby career in South Africa, where he represented the Sharks at youth level between 2007 and 2010. He later played for clubs in South Africa and New Zealand before attracting the attention of NFL scouts.
In 2013, the Indianapolis Colts signed Adongo despite his lack of American football experience, converting him into a linebacker. His move made him the first Kenyan to play in the National Football League and one of the few African rugby players to transition successfully into the sport.
Adongo appeared in five NFL games between 2013 and 2015, primarily on special teams, before his career stalled following a police incident in suburban Indianapolis. The Colts subsequently released him.
According to Business Insider Africa, ICE said Adongo’s visa expired in 2016, beginning a period of unlawful presence that ultimately resulted in his deportation to Kenya.
Not the First African Celebrity to Face U.S. Immigration Action
Adongo is among several high-profile African-born personalities to face U.S. immigration enforcement in recent years.
Business Insider Africa noted that in June 2025, Senegalese-born social media star Khaby Lame was detained by ICE officials at Las Vegas airport after allegedly overstaying his visa. Lame was later permitted to leave the United States voluntarily and did not face a formal removal order.
Unlike Lame’s case, Adongo’s deportation followed both a criminal conviction and a judicial removal order, placing him within the category of immigrants subject to mandatory detention and deportation under U.S. immigration law.
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