Far-right British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Louisiana, TMZ reports. Yiannopoulos was detained at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and remains in ICE custody.
The Department of Homeland Security said Yiannopoulos legally entered the US in May 2019 but overstayed his visa, failed to appear at an immigration hearing and was issued a final removal order on July 22, 2026.
Yiannopoulos was for years a prominent figure on the far right in the United States and internationally. He rose to prominence at Breitbart News, which he joined in 2014 after being recruited by Steve Bannon, who later served as a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump.
Yiannopoulos is also known for his close ties to rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He served as Ye's chief of staff for nearly two years before the two parted ways in 2024, and oversaw political activities connected to what Yiannopoulos described as a presidential campaign.
Ye has himself become one of the most controversial figures in American culture in recent years, in part because of a long series of antisemitic statements that prompted Adidas, Balenciaga and other companies to sever ties with him. Ye is scheduled to perform Friday night at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, which could explain why Yiannopoulos was in Louisiana.
Yiannopoulos built much of his public profile on staunch opposition to immigration, particularly Muslim immigration to Europe, and has been an outspoken supporter of aggressive immigration enforcement in the United States. In June 2025, he called on social media for ICE checkpoints to be established across California and for anyone unable to prove they were in the United States legally to be deported on the spot.
Yiannopoulos, who is openly gay, has also attracted attention over the contrast between his sexual orientation and his far-right political positions, including his opposition to some causes championed by the LGBT community.
