British Far-Right Commentator Milo Yiannopoulos Called for Millions to Be Deported, Now He Faces Deportation

Milo Yiannopoulos once called for ICE agents to check people's immigration status outside supermarkets and gas stations. Now the British political commentator is in ICE custody facing deportation from the United States.

Immigration agents arrested Yiannopoulos, 41, Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana. The Department of Homeland Security said he legally entered the country through New York City on May 14, 2019, but “chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws.”

An immigration judge ordered him removed from the country on July 22 when he failed to appear for an immigration hearing, DHS said. He will stay in ICE custody while awaiting removal.

“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,” Yiannopoulos wrote on social media in June 2025.

The supermarket proposal was only one of Yiannopoulos' calls for tougher immigration enforcement. That same month, he wrote that the Trump administration had to “deport millions and millions of people,” adding that without doing so, “nothing else matters.” In September, he called for “total legal immunity” for ICE agents while on duty.

Long before his detention in Louisiana, Yiannopoulos built a name as an incendiary writer at Breitbart and became one of the internet's best-known far-right provocateurs. He later worked with former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

Ye was preparing to perform Friday night at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans when news of the arrest broke. Yiannopoulos has worked for the rapper's political and business ventures, but authorities have not said why he was in Louisiana.

Far-right activist Laura Loomer celebrated the arrest Friday and claimed she previously reported Yiannopoulos to ICE and the FBI. No proof has surfaced showing her report led federal agents to arrest him.

Yiannopoulos has not publicly commented on his detention, and it was unclear Friday whether he had an attorney. ICE's detainee locator does not identify where he is being held but directs family members and legal representatives to its Alexandria, Louisiana, office.

DHS said Yiannopoulos will stay in federal custody pending removal. The department also urged people living illegally in the United States to use the CBP Home app to leave voluntarily, offering $3,000 and a free flight.