Milo Yiannopoulos, a far-right British political commentator and former editor of Breitbart News, was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Arrest at New Orleans Airport
In a statement on Friday, a DHS spokesperson said that Yiannopoulos was arrested on Thursday at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport (MSY). The spokesperson said Yiannopoulos “legally entered the country” in May 2019, but that “he chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws”.
The spokesperson added that Yiannopoulos was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on 22 July, “after failing to show up for his immigration hearing”. “He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” the spokesperson 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.”
Detainee Database and Reports
As of Friday afternoon, Yiannopoulos is listed in ICE’s online detainee database as being in “ICE Custody”. The database states that he was born in the United Kingdom, but it does not disclose any additional details, including where he is being held. Multiple outlets reported on Friday that Yiannopoulos had been detained in Louisiana, with Fox News reporting that he is currently held in Alexandria, Louisiana.
Yiannopoulos, a former editor of Breitbart News, previously served as an intern for Marjorie Taylor Greene, a former US representative, in 2022, and also worked on the 2024 White House campaign of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. It is unclear why Yiannopoulos might have been in Louisiana, but Ye is scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday night.
Past Statements and Reactions
Last year, in posts on social media, Yiannopoulos had been supportive of immigration enforcement in the US. “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 wrote in a social media post in June of 2025.
On social media on Friday, Laura Loomer, the far-right activist and ally of president Donald Trump, claimed credit for Yiannopoulos’ detention and wrote that she had previously reported him to ICE.
