ICE nabs controversial right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos at New Orleans airport

KENNER, LOUISIANA: British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was detained by ICE in Louisiana on Thursday, August 27, after agents arrested him at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner. 

Yiannopoulos, a prominent and often divisive figure in conservative media, is now being held by federal immigration authorities.

DHS details Milo Yiannopoulos' arrest

DHS said Yiannopoulos was arrested by ICE at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana and remains in custody as authorities proceed with his removal from the United States.

According to the agency, the British commentator entered the country legally through New York City on May 14, 2019.

DHS said he later overstayed the period he was authorized to remain in the US, placing him in violation of immigration law.

The department referred to Yiannopoulos as an 'illegal alien from the United Kingdom' and said his immigration case ultimately resulted in a final order of removal.

An immigration judge issued that order on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to appear for his scheduled immigration hearing, DHS said.

The agency did not provide further details about the circumstances surrounding his missed hearing or explain what led to his presence at the Louisiana airport.

ICE’s online detainee database listed Yiannopoulos as being in "ICE Custody" as of Friday afternoon.

The database confirms the United Kingdom as his country of birth but does not identify the detention facility where he is currently being held.

It was not immediately clear why Yiannopoulos was in Louisiana at the time of his arrest or whether he was traveling through the New Orleans airport when ICE agents took him into custody. 

Milo Yiannopoulos backed immigration enforcement

Yiannopoulos has remained a recognizable figure on the far right, including a previous stint as an editor at Breitbart News.

He also worked as an intern for then-Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022.

Following news of his detention Friday, Laura Loomer claimed on social media that she had previously reported Yiannopoulos to ICE and took credit for his arrest.

Despite now being in ICE custody, Yiannopoulos has previously expressed strong support for aggressive immigration enforcement.

In a June 2025 social media post, he called for widespread ICE checkpoints across California, including outside supermarkets, gas stations and government buildings.

Milo also argued that people who could not prove they were in the United States legally should be removed immediately.