No one can break the law. It doesn’t matter who you are.
Now ICE booted a major football player from the country.
ICE Removes Former NFL Linebacker With Criminal Record After Years-Long Visa Overstay
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Chicago removed former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Daniel Ogama Adongo after the Kenyan national racked up a string of criminal arrests and overstayed his visa by nearly a decade, ICE exclusively told Fox News Digital.
Ex-NFL Player’s Criminal Record Catches Up With Him
Adongo, 37, played linebacker for the Colts until 2015 and has been arrested multiple times over the last decade, including a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief with damage that landed him a year in jail. His other arrests include felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct, according to officials.
ICE said Adongo overstayed his visa in 2016. Under the Laken Riley Act, signed by President Donald Trump last year, individuals in the country illegally are required to be detained without bond if convicted of certain crimes.
In March, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Adongo removed from the country; the order was carried out on June 20.
“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.”
From Rugby Recruit to NFL Roster to Deportation
Adongo came to the United States after being recruited as a rugby player and went on to play two seasons with the Colts from 2013 until 2015, a rare path from international rugby to the NFL.
“Since Day One, DHS law enforcement has been delivering on President Trump’s promise to the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including m*rderers, r*pists, child s*x abusers, gang members, and terrorists,” ICE said in its statement.
The agency added that nearly 70% of ICE arrests involve illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of a crime in the United States, and that more than 3 million illegal immigrants have left the country since the administration ramped up enforcement.
“Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you,” ICE said.
Case Adds to String of High-Profile Removals
Adongo’s removal is the latest in a series of high-profile ICE enforcement actions the agency has publicized in recent months as part of its broader crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants, part of a pattern the administration says demonstrates that no one — regardless of prior public profile — is exempt from immigration enforcement.
