Yiannopoulos, who is British, was returned to his home country on Friday after being accused of overstaying his visa after entering the country legally in May 2019, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. An immigration judge had issued a final order of removal on July 22 after he failed to show up for an immigration hearing.
Yiannopoulos was arrested Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“DHS reversed the horrendous Biden-era policy that allowed aliens in our country illegally to jet around our country. Under President Trump, DHS will no longer tolerate this,” the DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “This 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.”
Reports indicated that Yiannopoulos was in New Orleans ahead of a concert by the formerly known as Kanye West. Yiannopoulos has done work for the political and corporate ambitions of West, who’s now known as Ye.
Yiannopoulos, who was banned from Twitter for several years for hateful attacks against comedian Leslie Jones, is a well-known champion of conservative causes and has frequently taken provocative public positions criticizing feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has also been a supporter of ICE’s immigration enforcement efforts in the past.
“California needs ICE checkpoints at supermarket entrances, gas stations, strip malls, intersections and government buildings, with on the spot deportation for anyone who can’t prove they are in the US legally,” he posted on social media in June 2025.
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