The far-right blogger Milo Yiannopoulos has been taken into ICE custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officers detained Yiannopoulos, described as “an illegal immigrant from the United Kingdom,” at a airport in Louisiana, according to the Department of Homeland Security on the platform X. Yiannopoulos had overstayed his permitted time in the country.
Earlier, on July 22, Yiannopoulos was issued a final removal order by an immigration judge after he failed to appear for his hearing. He will remain in ICE custody until his deportation, the agency said, which often uses social media to make examples of individuals and to promote its policies. In the post, it cites “self-deportations,” for which those affected could even receive a subsidy.
Prominent Figure in American Right-Wing Extremism
The Athens-born Yiannopoulos built a career in Catholic media in Britain and, at first, appeared on talk shows in a relatively conventional and earnest manner, speaking out against extending marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
Direct link | “Milo” 2012
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With ideological radicalization and an increasingly outspoken, flashy, and vulgar style filled with incendiary statements, he rose to prominence about ten years ago as a leading figure among American right-wing extremism following a high-profile involvement in the misogynistic Gamergate movement.
The Briton consistently spread propaganda against women, Black people, supposed elites, and leftists—and also targeted queer people, especially transgender individuals. For example, during a tour titled “Dangerous Faggot,” the Trump-supporter framed it as a fight for free speech (TheColu.mn reported).
Direct link | Vice report 2016 about “The world’s biggest asshole”
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Only after a 2017 interview circulated in which he defended sex between men and boys did much of the right turn its back on him: Yiannopoulos lost his book deal with Simon & Schuster, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) removed him from the speaker lineup, and Breitbart News cut ties with Yiannopoulos.
Advocates of “Homo-Healing”
For about five years Yiannopoulos has described himself as “ex-gay,” i.e., a former gay man, and has promoted the so-called conversion therapy, i.e., scientifically rejected and in some states prohibited “treatments” intended to “cure” or suppress homosexuality or transgender identities. (TheColu.mn reported)
Yiannopoulos was most recently known for his connections to U.S. rapper Ye (formerly Kanye West), according to the gossip site TMZ. He reportedly worked for him for almost two years before the two ended their collaboration in 2024.
Last year Yiannopoulos publicly praised ICE on X: “California needs ICE checkpoints at the entrances of supermarkets, gas stations, malls, intersections, and government buildings,” he wrote at the time. Anyone who cannot prove they are legally present in the United States should be “deported immediately.”
