British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the United States to the United Kingdom after immigration agents arrested him at an airport in New Orleans. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said he was returned to Britain on Friday, a day after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.
Years in the US, then a removal order
Yiannopoulos, 41, entered the United States legally in May 2019 through New York City. A DHS spokesperson said he then "chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws." An immigration judge issued a final order of removal on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to show up for his immigration hearing. ICE released a mugshot of the commentator after his arrest, and DHS described him in a statement as "an illegal alien from the United Kingdom" who had been sent back to his home country.
A provocateur known for hard-line views
Yiannopoulos is a former editor of the right-wing website Breitbart News and once worked as an aide to the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He built his profile on provocative attacks on feminism, Islam and immigrants, and he has been one of the most visible supporters of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. "Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts," he wrote on X last year. He resigned from Breitbart in 2017 after comments he had made in a podcast surfaced, and a planned book deal fell apart. He stayed active in right-wing media circles and later aligned himself with Ye.
Deportation becomes a talking point
His removal drew quick reactions from both sides of the immigration debate. Laura Loomer, a far-right commentator and Trump ally who has feuded with Yiannopoulos, took credit for his arrest and wrote on X that he is "NEVER allowed to come back to the United States ever again." Yiannopoulos had been in New Orleans ahead of a performance by Ye in the city. He has not commented publicly since landing in Britain.