British right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported back to the UK after being detained by US immigration officials. The 41-year-old, who previously cheered on ICE raids, flew into the US in May 2019 and "chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws", the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.
Detention and Deportation
The former editor of Breitbart News and close associate to rapper Kanye West was referred to by immigration officials as an "illegal alien," reports the BBC. A DHS spokesperson said in a statement given to the broadcaster that Yiannopoulos, "an illegal alien from the United Kingdom" had been sent "back to his home country".
He was returned to the UK today after being arrested at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana on Thursday having failed to appear at an immigration hearing.
Immigration History
Immigration officials noted that Mr Yiannopoulos initially arrived legally in the US in 2019. "Yiannopoulos legally entered the country on May 14 2019, through New York City, New York. He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws," a spokesperson said.
"Yiannopoulos was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on July 22, after failing to show up for his immigration hearing. He will remain in Ice custody pending removal." They added that being in detention was a "choice" as the US government is offering money and free flights for people to "self deport".
Background and Career
Yiannopoulos has previously labelled himself "the most fabulous supervillain on the internet" and has championed alt-right talking points on feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has been especially supportive of US President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. "Zero immigration for the next 20 years. No ifs, no buts," he wrote on X last year.
In the early 2010s, Mr Yiannopoulos was recruited to the Breitbart website by Mr Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, and was known to refer to Donald Trump as "daddy". He resigned from the company in 2017 after a video of him endorsing paedophilia resurfaced online, and later apologised for the remarks and said he had been a victim of sexual assault as a minor.
He more recently ran a short-lived presidential campaign for the rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West) and reportedly worked as an intern for former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
