ICE Detains Milo Yiannopoulos in New Orleans, Faces Final Removal Order
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ICE Detains Milo Yiannopoulos in New Orleans, Faces Final Removal Order

28 August, 2026.USA.38 sources

Milo Yiannopoulos, British far-right commentator, arrested by ICE in New Orleans airport. He is in ICE custody facing a final removal order and deportation.

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ICE custody and removal order

Milo Yiannopoulos, a British far-right political commentator and deportation advocate, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is facing a final order of removal, according to U.S. officials and agency records.

"chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws."

CBS NewsCBS News

CBS News reported that Yiannopoulos was apprehended in the New Orleans area and held in a Louisiana ICE holding facility, while PBS NewsHour reported that immigration officials arrested him at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and accused him of overstaying after entering legally in May 2019 through New York City.

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A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said Yiannopoulos came to the U.S. legally in 2019 but "chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws."

CBS News also said a final order of removal was issued by an immigration judge on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to show for his immigration hearing, and that he will remain in ICE custody pending removal.

PBS NewsHour reported that an immigration judge issued the final order of removal on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to show up for his immigration hearing, and that ICE’s online detainee locator directs family and legal representatives to the agency’s office in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Detention location and competing framing

While CBS News said Yiannopoulos was being held in a Louisiana ICE holding facility, PBS NewsHour said ICE’s online detainee locator does not say where he is being held and instead directs family and legal representatives to the agency’s office in Alexandria, Louisiana.

PBS NewsHour reported that Yiannopoulos was scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday evening as the rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was set to perform there, and that Yiannopoulos has most recently worked for Ye.

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The Daily Wire and other outlets tied the arrest to the DHS announcement that "On August 27, ICE arrested Milo Yiannopoulos, an illegal alien from the United Kingdom," at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Diario Público said ICE detention locator shows Yiannopoulos is in ICE custody under the jurisdiction of the Alexandria office in the southern state of Louisiana, and it described the arrest for deportation purposes in New Orleans as reported by TMZ and Telegraph.

Diario Público also quoted Laura Loomer celebrating the detention, writing on X: "The undocumented foreigner Milo Yiannopoulos has been detained by ICE."

Deportation and aftermath

The Telegraph reported that Milo Yiannopoulos was flown back to Britain on Friday, saying he was detained by ICE in New Orleans and "flown back to Britain on Friday" according to two senior U.S. sources.

"flown back to Britain on Friday"

The TelegraphThe Telegraph

The Telegraph described Yiannopoulos as a 41-year-old who was detained by ICE in New Orleans and said his visa status drew attention after he fell out of favour with senior officials over his increasingly hostile remarks.

CBS News quoted a DHS spokesperson saying, "Being in detention is a choice," and added that the United States was offering illegal aliens $3,000 and a free flight to self-deport.

Diario Público said Yiannopoulos, who served as an advisor to rapper Kanye West and as an editor at Breitbart News, was detained under ICE’s database this Friday and that he would be deported.

Diario Público also said Laura Loomer claimed she reported Yiannopoulos to ICE and the FBI last year for calling for his assassination and for "supporting Hamas and the Ayatollah" of Iran, framing the detention as a response to his prior statements.