Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right provocateur who called for ICE to set up checkpoints in order to carry out "on the spot" deportations for anyone in the country illegally, has been detained by the immigration enforcement agency, online records show.
Yiannopoulos, a native of the United Kingdom, rose to prominence as a right-wing commentator in the years leading up to the first Trump administration. He wrote for Breitbart News, giving voice to neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups, and became known for his controversial university campus tours, where he railed against everything from feminism and Islam to the Black Lives Matter movement and transgender issues.
Yiannopoulos has been detained by immigration authorities in Louisiana, United States Immigration
and Customs Enforcement online detainee records show. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the Briton was detained Aug. 27 at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport after being ordered to leave the country for overstaying a visa dating to 2019.
"He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. "Yiannopoulos was issued a final order of removal by an Immigration Judge on July 22, after failing to show up for his immigration hearing. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal."
TMZ first reported Yiannopoulos’ arrest. He has worked on-and-off with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West dating to 2022 and was in Louisiana ahead of an Aug. 28 concert headlined by the controversial artist. Yiannopoulos acted as West’s campaign manager during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Yiannopoulos' arrest comes after he championed ICE as recently as June 2025.
"California needs ICE checkpoints at supermarket entrances, gas stations, strip malls, intersections and government buildings, with on the spot deportation for anyone who can’t prove they are in the US legally," Yiannopoulos said in a post on X, where he goes by the username Nero.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos detained by ICE
