U.S. immigration officials arrested controversial British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in New Orleans on Thursday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Immigration officials said Friday that authorities arrested Yiannopoulos at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and accused him of overstaying his legal stay in the United States.
Yiannopoulos entered the U.S. legally through New York City in May 2019. According to a DHS spokesperson, an immigration judge issued a final removal order on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to appear for his immigration hearing.
“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” a DHS spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
The online detainee locator operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not identify where Yiannopoulos is being held. Instead, it directs family members and legal representatives to an ICE office in Alexandria, Louisiana, which serves as a deportation hub for international flights.
Representatives for Yiannopoulos did not respond to requests for comment, and it remains unclear whether he has legal representation.
Greek family background
Yiannopoulos was born Milo Hanrahan in England to a father of Greek and Irish ancestry. His parents separated when he was young, and he was largely raised by his mother and stepfather. He later adopted the surname Yiannopoulos from his paternal grandmother.
He has nevertheless built his public career primarily in Britain and the United States, where he became known for his provocative political commentary and association with conservative and far-right circles.
Yiannopoulos has most recently worked for rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday evening.
The British national became widely known for his provocative positions on conservative political issues and his frequent attacks on feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has also strongly supported President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
“Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts,” Yiannopoulos wrote on X last year.
Rise to prominence
Yiannopoulos rose to prominence in the early 2010s as a provocative writer for conservative website Breitbart News.
He left the organisation in 2017 after a video resurfaced in which he appeared to endorse sexual relationships between adults and minors. Yiannopoulos later apologised for the comments and said he had experienced sexual assault as a minor.
His arrest comes amid an increase in immigration detentions across the United States as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration enforcement efforts.
Far-right conservative activist Laura Loomer quickly celebrated Yiannopoulos’ arrest on social media, despite years of public disputes between the two figures.
“I was the first person to report on the fact that Milo was in the US illegally,” Loomer wrote on X, while also making allegations about his activities and political associations.
Campus controversies
Yiannopoulos attracted further national attention in 2017 when he launched what he called his “Troll Academy Tour”at college campuses across the country.
His appearances frequently drew protests and confrontations. Some students accused him of promoting hate speech, while supporters portrayed him as a defender of free speech.
Around the same period, BuzzFeed reported on Yiannopoulos’ relationships with people who identified as white nationalists.
Yiannopoulos continued to operate within conservative political circles in subsequent years.
According to The Washington Post, he worked as an intern for former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022.
He later managed Ye’s short-lived 2024 presidential campaign and subsequently worked as a spokesperson for the rapper.
Ye has faced his own controversies, particularly following antisemitic remarks for which he later apologised.
Yiannopoulos’ immigration case now places the outspoken conservative commentator among those caught up in the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement campaign.
