British Far-Right Figure Milo Yiannopoulos Held by US Immigration

US immigration authorities have arrested Milo Yiannopoulos, the British far-right commentator and former Breitbart editor, at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said he was taken into custody on Friday and accused of entering the United States illegally in May 2019 through New York City.

According to a DHS spokesperson, an immigration judge had issued a final removal order on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to appear for his immigration hearing. The spokesperson added, "He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws."

Yiannopoulos is being held at an undisclosed location, though ICE's online detainee locator directs inquiries to its office in Alexandria, Louisiana, which serves as a hub for deportation flights. It is unclear whether he has legal representation, and his representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

The arrest comes amid a broader nationwide increase in immigration detentions under President Donald Trump's enforcement policies. Yiannopoulos has been a vocal supporter of such measures, previously writing on X, "Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts."

Known for provocative statements against feminism, Islam, and immigrants, Yiannopoulos rose to prominence in the early 2010s at Breitbart News. He resigned in 2017 after a video surfaced in which he appeared to endorse pedophilia; he later apologized and said he was a victim of sexual assault as a minor.

In recent years, he worked for rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West), serving as a spokesperson and briefly running Ye's 2024 presidential campaign. He also interned for former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022, according to the Washington Post.

His arrest drew immediate reaction from fellow conservative activist Laura Loomer, who had feuded with him publicly. Loomer wrote on X that she was "the first person to report on the fact that Milo was in the US illegally."

Yiannopoulos's "Troll Academy Tour" in 2017 sparked campus protests and accusations of hate speech, while supporters hailed him as a free speech advocate. Around that time, reports also highlighted his ties to self-proclaimed white nationalists.