Milo Yiannopoulos, the British-born far-right provocateur and former Breitbart editor, has been detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Louisiana after overstaying his visa.
Yiannopoulos, 41, was arrested at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Thursday. He entered the United States legally in May 2019 but subsequently overstayed his visa and failed to attend an immigration hearing.
An immigration judge issued a final order for his removal in July, and he is now being held pending deportation.
Deportation
His detention has an additional twist: far-right MAGA influencer Laura Loomer is claiming credit for helping put him in ICE custody.
Loomer said on X that she had reported Yiannopoulos to ICE and the FBI, both in 2024 and last year.
She alleged that he had called for her assassination and accused him of supporting Hamas and Iran’s Ayatollah.
Celebrated
She celebrated his detention and called for further investigation of former Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, for whom Yiannopoulos previously worked.
Although Yiannopoulos made his name in the US, he began his career in Britain, founding technology website The Kernel in 2011 before joining Breitbart in 2014.
British tours
His early reputation was built partly through controversial speaking tours at British and Irish universities, including Bristol and Manchester, before he emerged as a major figure in the American alt-right.
He became notorious as one of the most prominent figures of the online far right rising to prominence through Breitbart before resigning in 2017 following controversy over remarks about sexual relationships between adults and minors.
He later worked with Greene and became closely associated with rapper Kanye West, serving as a senior figure in West’s political operation.
He has also been linked to white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Stronger ICE powers
At the time of his arrest, Yiannopoulos was apparently in New Orleans ahead of a Kanye West concert, although it remains unclear whether the concert was the reason for his visit.
His detention is particularly ironic: Yiannopoulos has previously supported Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, including demanding mass deportations and stronger powers for ICE agents.
