US authorities have arrested Milo Yiannopoulos, a British far-right commentator, for overstaying his visa in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the detention took place at New Orleans International Airport on Thursday, and Yiannopoulos is currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody pending deportation.

The Department reported that Yiannopoulos was issued a final removal order by an Immigration Judge on July 22 after failing to attend his immigration hearing. He was described by officials as an “illegal alien from the United Kingdom.” His family and legal representatives have been directed to contact ICE’s office in Alexandria, Louisiana, which handles deportation flights.

The arrest was publicly noted by far-right activist Laura Loomer, who claimed on social media to have reported Yiannopoulos to ICE and the FBI. Loomer stated that Yiannopoulos was in the US illegally, had incited violence against the US administration, and had been affiliated with ex-Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

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Background and Political History

Yiannopoulos first rose to prominence in the early 2010s as a writer for the right-wing news site Breitbart News and played a prominent role in the “Gamergate” anti-feminist harassment campaign. He resigned from Breitbart in 2017 after a video surfaced suggesting he condoned pedophilia, a comment he later apologized for.

Once a supporter of Donald Trump and advocate for strict immigration policies, Yiannopoulos has since broken with the Trump movement. He has maintained far-right stances, including calls for mass deportations and strict immigration enforcement. In June of the previous year, he publicly proposed increasing ICE checkpoints in California and enforcing deportation on anyone unable to prove legal presence in the US.

Possible Connection to Scheduled Events in New Orleans

Entertainment news outlet TMZ speculated that Yiannopoulos may have been in New Orleans ahead of a planned performance by rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. Yiannopoulos has worked with Ye in different roles, including involvement with Ye’s 2024 presidential campaign, a brief period at the Yeezy fashion label, and as Ye’s personal spokesperson.