British far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos was deported to the UK after his arrest by American immigration authorities, U.S. officers mentioned Saturday.
The U.S. Division of Homeland Safety mentioned Yiannopoulos was returned to his residence nation Friday after being accused of overstaying after getting into the U.S. legally in Could 2019. An immigration choose issued a ultimate order of removing July 22 after he failed to point out up for an immigration listening to, a Homeland Safety spokesperson mentioned.
Yiannopoulos was arrested Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans Worldwide Airport in Louisiana and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“He selected to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s legal guidelines,” a Homeland Safety spokesperson mentioned in an announcement.
Yiannopoulos and his representatives didn’t reply to requests for remark, and he has not posted on the social platform X since Thursday.
Yiannopoulos backed President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown
Yiannopoulos is a widely known champion of conservative causes and has often taken provocative public positions criticizing feminism, Islam and immigrants. He has been particularly supportive of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement coverage, aimed toward folks within the nation illegally.
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“Zero immigration for the subsequent 20 years. No ifs, no buts,” Yiannopoulos mentioned on X final yr.
The British nationwide has most just lately labored for the rapper Ye, previously often known as Kanye West, who carried out in New Orleans on Friday night.
Yiannopoulos rose to fame within the early 2010s as an incendiary author for the conservative web site Breitbart Information. He resigned in 2017 after a video of him endorsing pedophilia resurfaced on-line. He later apologized for the remarks and mentioned he himself was a sufferer of sexual assault as a minor.
Yiannopoulos’ arrest and deportation come amid a nationwide uptick in detentions as a part of Trump’s immigration crackdown.
In social media posts, the Division of Homeland Safety touted Yiannopoulos’ arrest and posted a reserving picture of him. It added that it encourages folks within the nation illegally to depart voluntarily, saying the U.S. provides “$3,000 and a free flight to self-deport.”
“We encourage each individual right here illegally to reap the benefits of this provide and reserve the prospect to return again to the U.S. the fitting authorized strategy to dwell the American dream. If not, you may be arrested and deported with no likelihood to return,” the division mentioned.
The division didn’t reply Saturday to questions in search of extra particulars about Yiannopoulos’ authorized entry into the U.S. in 2019, together with whether or not he was granted a visa.
Controversy has swirled across the provocateur for years
Far-right conservative activist Laura Loomer swiftly took to social media to applaud Yiannopoulos’ arrest after years of public feuding between the 2 personalities.
“I used to be the primary individual to report on the truth that Milo was within the US illegally the place he incited violence towards President Trump and labored for Marjorie Traitor Greene,” Loomer mentioned on X.
Controversy round Yiannopoulos ballooned in 2017 when he carried out what he known as his “Troll Academy Tour” throughout faculty campuses nationwide. Fights broke out when some college students protested his appearances and accused him of hate speech, whereas others celebrated him as a champion of free speech. Round that point Buzzfeed reported on Yiannopoulos’ cozy relationships with self-proclaimed white nationalists.
Lately Yiannopoulos continued to work within the orbit of conservative activism. In 2022 he was an intern for former U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in response to the Washington Submit. He subsequently ran the short-lived 2024 presidential marketing campaign for Ye.
Most just lately, Yiannopoulos has labored as a spokesperson for Ye, who has been beset by controversy of his personal following antisemitic feedback that the rapper has since apologized for.
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