Milo Yiannopoulos Deported to UK After ICE Detains Him on Visa

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained and deported British provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos last week. He was arrested at an airport in New Orleans on Thursday on an expired visa.

By Friday, Yiannopoulos was back in his native United Kingdom. The Department of Homeland Security posted his mugshot online, which garnered roughly 24 million views. The department stated Yiannopoulos entered the US legally in 2019 but outstayed his visa terms. He had missed an immigration appointment in July. Yiannopoulos, 41, was a former Breitbart News journalist and a pro-Trump commentator.

He built his brand as a habitual line-stepper and political provocateur. Many liberals expressed schadenfreude, noting Yiannopoulos had previously called for widespread ICE checkpoints and "ICE executions of protesters." He had also talked about getting sexually aroused by ICE detentions. His former associates on the right largely gloated at the ignominy of his fall. Laura Loomer claimed she reported Yiannopoulos to Homeland Security years ago due to a bitter feud.

Alex Nowrasteh, senior vice president for policy at the Cato Institute, wrote, "Let him go unless he's a violent or property criminal." Trump Border Czar Tom Homan denied Yiannopoulos received preferential treatment, stating he was deported a day after his arrest. The swift deportation aligns with a broader administration strategy to turbocharge removals.