Milo Yiannopoulos, commentator tied to Kanye West and Tucker Carlson, deported by ICE after nearly 7 years in US on expired visa

British political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was deported to the United Kingdom on Friday, one day after agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested him at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, located in Kenner, La. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Yiannopoulos was held at a deportation center in Alexandria, La., prior to his final departure from the country.

According to the agency, Yiannopoulos legally entered the United States through New York in May 2019, but remained in the country well beyond the time authorized by his visa. An immigration judge had issued a final deportation order against him on July 22, after the commentator failed to appear at his immigration hearing. "He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws," DHS stated in a press release.

The arrest occurred while Yiannopoulos was in Louisiana attending a concert by Kanye West at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. For years, the commentator maintained a close professional relationship with the rapper, serving as his chief of staff for nearly two years and then as director of political operations for his YE24 presidential campaign, before parting ways with his team in 2024.

The case is particularly striking because Yiannopoulos has been, for years, one of the most vocal advocates for stricter immigration policies—a stance that has now directly affected him. In June 2025, he had written on social media that "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."

The DHS used the case to reinforce its message to other undocumented immigrants, urging them to use the CBP Home app to arrange voluntary departures from the country in exchange for financial assistance and airline tickets. "Being in detention is a choice," DHS said, adding that people who use the app may preserve a chance to return to the United States legally in the future.

Yiannopoulos rose to prominence as editor of Breitbart News and as one of the most controversial figures of the so-called alt-right, with speeches that at the time sparked protests at universities such as U.C. Berkeley. More recently, he became a regular guest on Tucker Carlson's podcast, where in December 2025 he was featured in an extensive interview about his sexual identity, in which he described himself as "ex-gay" and called "mainstreaming homosexuality in the Republican Party" the "great regret" of his life.