British Far-Right Activist Milo Yiannopoulos Arrested by ICE in US
Evan Semones
British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been arrested by US ICE for overstaying his visa in the US. Authorities say he will be held until his deportation. The arrest follows a final deportation order issued in July after he missed an immigration hearing.
Milo Yiannopoulos, the British far-right commentator who has publicly supported US President Donald Trump, has been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A spokesperson for the US Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Al Jazeera that Yiannopoulos was taken into custody at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday (February 17).
He is accused of overstaying his permitted time after entering the US via New York City on May 14, 2019.
“Yiannopoulos received a final deportation order from an immigration judge on July 22 after failing to appear at an immigration hearing. He will be held by ICE until he is deported,” the spokesperson said on Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security also posted on social media a photo purportedly of the 41-year-old figure. Yiannopoulos had called on the Trump administration to “deport millions and millions of people” in June 2025.
In the post, the department warned that overstayers would be “arrested and deported without the opportunity to return.”
Online records did not identify which detention facility is holding Yiannopoulos. Authorities suggested that “family members and legal representatives” contact the ICE office in Alexandria, Louisiana, for more details.
Media reported that Yiannopoulos was in New Orleans to attend a concert by the artist Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. TMZ was the first outlet to report the incident.
Laura Loomer, a close Trump ally who often spreads conspiracy theories, is credited with helping to get Yiannopoulos arrested. She called it “a great day for America” and criticized Yiannopoulos for collaborating with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“I was the first person to report that Milo is in the US illegally, where he incites violence against President Trump and works for the traitor Marjorie Greene,” Loomer wrote on social media platform X. “When Milo called for my assassination, I reported him to ICE and the FBI.”
Loomer and Yiannopoulos have been publicly feuding for years. Previously, he had posted information about Loomer’s mental health issues, claiming she had been committed to a psychiatric hospital.
Yiannopoulos is known for his controversial online posts and anti-Islam writings. He was permanently banned from Twitter, the predecessor of X, in July 2016. His account was restored when Elon Musk took over the company.
After that, Yiannopoulos returned to the platform with a series of provocative posts, including one calling “the Islamic world backward.”
Recently, he founded a talent management company called Tarantula based in Los Angeles, which provides “unrivaled connections, capital, and expertise” to high-profile clients. The client list includes several controversial figures such as Trump, Ye, Martin Shkreli, and rapper Azealia Banks.
