An ICE official told Al Jazeera on 28 August 2026 that the British political commentator overstayed his authorized stay in the United States and will be removed.
Milo Yiannopoulos, a British far‑right commentator who previously expressed strong support for former President Donald Trump, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A DHS spokesperson told Al Jazeera that Yiannopoulos was taken into custody at New Orleans’ Louis Armstrong International Airport on Thursday.
He is alleged to have overstayed the period permitted under his visa after entering the United States via New York City on 14 May 2019.
An immigration judge issued a final order of removal on 22 July after Yiannopoulos failed to appear for his hearing, and he is to remain in ICE custody pending removal, the spokesperson said on Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security also posted a photo on social media showing a mugshot of the 41‑year‑old conservative firebrand, who in June 2025 urged the Trump administration to “deport millions and millions and millions of people.”
![Milo Yiannopoulos is seen in a photo posted to social media by the United States Department of Homeland Security on Friday [File: DHS]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==)
Public records do not identify the specific ICE detention facility holding Yiannopoulos; family members and legal representatives are instructed to contact the ICE field office in Alexandria, Louisiana, for further information.
Reports indicate he was in New Orleans attending a concert by musician Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. TMZ was the first to report his detention.
Laura Loomer, a prominent Trump ally known for spreading conspiracy theories, claimed credit for Yiannopoulos’s detention, describing it as a “great day for America.”
She also criticized Yiannopoulos’s association with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Trump supporter who has since become a critic.
Loomer said she was the first to report that Milo was in the United States illegally, that he had incited violence against President Trump, and that he worked for Marjorie Taylor Greene; when he threatened her assassination, she reported him to ICE and the FBI.
Loomer has long been in public disagreement with Yiannopoulos. In a September 2024 post, he alleged that she had been involuntarily committed to psychiatric facilities, claiming to have exposed her mental‑health struggles.
Yiannopoulos, known for his online trolling and anti‑Islamic statements, was permanently banned by Twitter in July 2016; his account was later reinstated after Elon Musk acquired the platform.
He subsequently returned to the platform and posted a series of inflammatory messages, including one that described the Muslim world as “functionally retarded.”
More recently, the 41‑year‑old established a Los Angeles‑based talent management firm, Tarantula, which claims to provide “unrivalled connections, capital and expertise” to a range of celebrities and public figures.
The firm’s website lists controversial past and present clients, including Donald Trump, Ye, convicted fraudster “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli, and rapper Azealia Banks.