Democrats fight ICE airport deployment
Jonathan Fahey, a former deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, weighed in on Democratic resistance to placing ICE agents at airports, arguing that such opposition undermines public safety. He also took aim at Chicago’s sanctuary city policies following the murder charge against Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan migrant in the U.S. illegally, in the death of an 18-year-old woman. Fahey called the killing preventable and blamed what he described as weak border enforcement and local sanctuary protections for contributing to the tragedy.
Milo Yiannopoulos, the polarizing former Breitbart editor, was deported to the United Kingdom just one day after ICE agents detained him at a Louisiana airport. Federal officials said the British national had overstayed his legal permission to remain in the United States and failed to attend an immigration hearing.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed Yiannopoulos on Friday, following his arrest a day earlier at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana.
After the airport arrest, Yiannopoulos was transferred to ICE custody in Alexandria, Louisiana, a key processing center for the agency’s deportation operations, before being expelled from the country.
FILE – Milo Yiannopoulos speaks during a news conference in New York on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017. The right-wing writer later filed a $10 million lawsuit over a canceled book deal on Friday, July 7, 2017. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)
According to DHS, Yiannopoulos entered the United States legally through New York City on May 14, 2019, but stayed beyond the period he was authorized to remain in the country.
The agency said an immigration judge issued a final order of removal on July 22 after Yiannopoulos did not appear for his scheduled immigration hearing.
“Yiannopoulos legally entered the country on May 14, 2019, through New York City, New York. He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” DHS said.
FILE – Milo Yiannopoulos walks while being escorted away after speaking at the University of California in Berkeley. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)
The agency used Yiannopoulos’ removal to issue a broader warning to illegal immigrants and tout the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
DHS said it reversed a Biden administration policy that it claimed allowed illegal immigrants to fly around the country, adding that the department will no longer permit such travel unless it is tied to a departure from the United States.
DHS ISSUES $84B IN FINES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this,” the agency said. “This administration is working diligently to ensure that aliens in our country illegally can no longer fly unless it is out of our country to self deport.”
DHS urged illegal immigrants to use the CBP Home app to arrange their own departures, saying the federal government is offering $3,000 and a free flight to those who leave voluntarily.
FILE – Far right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos holds protest signs while speaking at the University of California in Berkeley, California, U.S., September 24, 2017.
“Being in detention is a choice,” DHS said, adding that people who use the app may preserve a chance to return to the United States legally in the future.
Those who do not leave voluntarily, the agency warned, will be arrested and deported without a chance to return.
Yiannopoulos rose to national prominence as a provocative political commentator and former editor at Breitbart News. He drew national attention for his provocative speeches and online commentary, including appearances that sparked protests at UC Berkeley.
