ICE officials told Al Jazeera that the British political commentator was being removed because he had overstayed his stay in the United States.
Published August 28, 2026
British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, previously known as a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Al Jazeera that Yiannopoulos was taken into custody Thursday at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, Louisiana.
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After entering the United States via New York City on May 14, 2019, he allegedly overstayed his legal permission to remain in the United States.
“Mr. Yiannopoulos failed to appear for his immigration hearing and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on July 22,” the spokesperson wrote on Friday. “He will remain in ICE custody until released.”
The Department of Homeland Security also posted on social media a photo that appears to be the mugshot of the 41-year-old conservative flamethrower who called on the Trump administration to “deport millions and millions and millions of people” in June 2025.
In a post, the ministry warned that those detained beyond the visiting period “will be arrested and deported without the opportunity to return home.”
Online records do not specify which ICE detention facility Yiannopoulos is currently being held in. Instead, it directs “family members and legal representatives” to contact ICE’s field office in Alexandria, Louisiana, for more information.
According to reports, Yiannopoulos was in New Orleans for a concert by musician Ye (formerly known as Kanye West). TMZ first reported Yiannopoulos’ arrest.
Laura Loomer, a Trump ally known for spreading conspiracy theories, appeared to take credit for Yiannopoulos’ arrest, calling it “a great day for America.”
She also criticized Mr. Yiannopoulos’ collaboration with former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump supporter turned critic.
“I was the first to report the fact that Milo was in the United States illegally, where he was inciting violence against President Trump and working for the traitor Marjorie Greene,” Loomer wrote on social media platform X. “When Milo asked me to assassinate him, I reported him to ICE and the FBI.”
Rumer has sparred publicly with Yiannopoulos for years. He previously exposed what he called Loomer’s mental health struggles in a September 2024 post, alleging that she had been involuntarily committed to a psychiatric facility.
Yiannopoulos, known for his online trolling and anti-Muslim posts, was permanently banned from Twitter, Inc.’s predecessor, in July 2016. His account was reinstated when Elon Musk took over the company.
Mr. Yiannopoulos then returned to the stage with a series of inflammatory posts, including one that said “the Islamic world is functionally backward.”
Most recently, the 41-year-old founded a Los Angeles-based talent management company called Tarantula, which provides, in his own words, “unparalleled connections, funding and expertise” to countless celebrities and public figures.
The site lists a number of controversial “past and present” clients, including Mr. Trump, Mr. Ye, convicted fraudster “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, and rapper Azealia Banks.
