Milo Yiannopoulos, a self-described libertarian and professional internet troll who became known for his controversial right-wing political views, is in ICE custody.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told NBC News that ICE arrested Yiannopoulos, a United Kingdom national, on Thursday at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana.
The DHS spokesperson said Yiannopoulos legally entered the U.S. on May 14, 2019, through New York City, but then “chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws.”
Yiannopoulos was taken into ICE custody Thursday after “failing to show up for his immigration hearing” on July 22, prompting an immigration judge to issue a final order of removal against him, according to the spokesperson. “He will remain in ICE custody pending removal,” the spokesperson added.
TMZ first reported Yiannopoulos’ ICE arrest.
Yiannopoulos has ties to Kanye West, known now as Ye, and previously served as the rapper’s chief of staff when Ye tried to run for president in 2020 and 2024. He also worked at Ye’s clothing brand Yeezy, but resigned from that job two years ago after the singer announced he was launching an adult entertainment studio under his Yeezy brand, TMZ reported.
Ye is scheduled to perform in Louisiana Friday night at the New Orleans Caesars Superdome. It’s unclear whether Yiannopoulos was in the state to attend the concert.
A former editor for Breitbart, the conservative internet publication President Donald Trump once considered one of his favorite news sources, Yiannopoulos resigned from the role in 2017 amid backlash to his reported comments about teens and sexual abuse.
The DHS spokesperson said that the Trump 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.”
