ICE removed daniel adongo from the U.S. on June 20 after a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered his removal in March. Adongo, 37, is a former NFL player who had played two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts until 2015.
The case moved from a judicial order to execution in Chicago. ICE said Adongo overstayed his visa in 2016 and that he had a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief with damage, along with arrests for felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct.
Chicago removal and ICE account
ICE in Chicago carried out the removal after the March order. Douglas Thompson, the ICE Chicago Assistant Field Office Director, said, "This dangerous individual was clearly a threat to the community, which is now safer since he’s been removed." Thompson also said, "Those who violate immigration law are held equally accountable, including former professional athletes."
ICE also said Adongo came to the U.S. after he was recruited as a rugby player. That detail sits alongside the enforcement record and explains why the case drew attention beyond a routine immigration file: a former professional athlete ended up under the same removal process applied to other people with criminal records and visa violations.
Adongo's record in the U.S.
ICE said Adongo's visa overstay dated to 2016, years after his time with the Indianapolis Colts from 2013 until 2015. The agency cited a 2020 conviction for criminal mischief with damage and said he also had arrests for felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct. Those facts formed the backdrop to the March removal order.
ICE said nearly 70% of its arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. The agency also said more than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country and counting, and linked the removal to its broader enforcement posture under the Laken Riley act.
Laken Riley act enforcement
ICE said, "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 murderers, rapists, child sex abusers, gang members, and terrorists". ICE also said, "Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. More than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country and counting. Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you."
For Adongo, the removal ended the legal process that began with the March order. The remaining question in the record is narrower and more specific: what conduct led to the 2020 criminal mischief conviction and the earlier arrests that ICE cited.
