Former Colts linebacker deported as NFL remains in spotlight of border crimes

Adongo was able to play for the Colts for two seasons from 2013 to 2015, admitted into the U.S. through a visa. After his time in the NFL ended, he overstayed his visa in 2016 and remained in the country illegally for another 10 years.

Over a period of nine years, he was arrested multiple times by Indiana law enforcement for a range of crimes including felony intimidation, battery and disorderly conduct, ICE said. He was convicted of criminal mischief with damage in 2020 and sentenced to 364 days in jail.

Adongo’s most recent criminal charges fall under the Laken Riley Act, which requires illegal foreign nationals be detained without bond for certain crimes. The bill was enacted after University of Georgia student Laken Riley was murdered in early 2024 by a Venezuelan man in the country illegally with a criminal record. He was found guilty on multiple charges and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In March, a Department of Justice immigration judge ordered Adongo be removed from the country. ICE-Chicago removed him in late June.  

Adongo, a “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.

ICE says nearly 70% of its arrests are of illegal foreign nationals charged or convicted of having committed a crime in the U.S. ICE also claims, “more than 3 million illegal aliens are out of the country and counting,” adding, “Our message is clear: If you come to our country illegally, we will find you, we will arrest you, and we will deport you.” 

The three million total includes more than two million who have chosen to voluntarily leave, encouraged by the Department of Homeland Security with incentives. The Trump administration for the first time launched a CBP Home app to facilitate voluntary removals, providing taxpayer-funded flights and $1,000 minimum payments to qualified foreign nationals. It also launched Project Homecoming, using chartered flights to return individuals and families to their country of origin, The Center Square reported.

Adongo’s deportation comes after NFL players and professional athletes continue to be the targets of a South American Theft Group operating in wealthy communities nationwide. The SATG is primarily run by Columbian and Chilean nationals who either illegally entered the U.S. or exploited a visa program during the Biden administration, authorities found, The Center Square firstreported. 

They frequently use rental vehicles, rely on fake IDs and documents and use multiple burner phones and signal jammers to evade capture, ICE says. They then sell the stolen goods, send some to Chile or Colombia and wire most of the profits overseas, the FBI has found.

SATG NFL victims have included Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Linval Joseph, among others. NBA players have also been targeted. 

Under the Trump administration, prosecutions of SATG members are ongoing. The most recent prosecutions are of Chileans and Venezuelans in Wisconsin and Florida, as well as multiple cases in California and Texas, The Center Square reported.