WASHINGTON – British right-wing political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the United States after being detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
Yiannopoulos was detained at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on August 27 and was returned to the United Kingdom on Friday, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.
A DHS spokesperson told the BBC that Yiannopoulos was in the United States illegally and had been removed to his home country.
According to US authorities, Yiannopoulos entered the United States in May 2019 on a temporary visa but subsequently remained in the country in violation of immigration laws.
The deportation is notable given Yiannopoulos’ longstanding support for strict immigration controls. He has repeatedly advocated the deportation of undocumented migrants and previously argued that people unable to produce valid immigration documents should be removed from the United States immediately.
Last year, he also called for immigration officials to receive broad legal immunity while carrying out their duties.
Yiannopoulos rose to prominence as a prominent figure on the American far right and was a staunch supporter of Donald Trump during the 2016 US presidential election. He played a significant role in campaigning for Trump at the time.
However, his relationship with Trump later deteriorated. In a social media post in March this year, Yiannopoulos accused Trump of having “lost his way” and claimed that the president had been sold out to foreign interests.
Despite his criticism of Trump, Yiannopoulos has continued to support a number of hard-right positions associated with the former president’s political movement.
Critics have accused Yiannopoulos of promoting hate and inflammatory rhetoric, while he has presented himself as a prominent voice for right-wing politics and immigration restriction.
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