Milo Yiannopoulos, the British far-right commentator and outspoken supporter of deportation policies, was deported Friday, one day after his arrest by immigration authorities for allegedly overstaying his visa, U.S. officials said Saturday.
Yiannopoulos was sent back to the United Kingdom after authorities said he remained in the United States beyond the terms of a visa he used to enter the country legally in May 2019, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on July 22 after Yiannopoulos did not appear for a scheduled immigration hearing.
He was taken into custody Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana and was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”
Reports said Yiannopoulos had traveled to New Orleans ahead of a concert by the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Yiannopoulos has previously worked on the political and corporate ambitions of West, who now goes by Ye.
Yiannopoulos, who was banned from Twitter for several years after directing hateful attacks at comedian Leslie Jones, became widely known as a provocative conservative media figure. He has repeatedly drawn attention for inflammatory comments criticizing feminism, Islam and immigrants, while also voicing past support for ICE and its immigration enforcement operations.
“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,” he posted on social media in June 2025.