British right-wing activist and former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the United States back to his homeland. This was reported by the press service of the US Department of Homeland Security on Saturday.
According to the department, 41-year-old Yiannopoulos was detained by ICE agents on Thursday at Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans. He entered the country legally in May 2019 via New York, but then violated his visa status.
An immigration judge issued a final deportation order on 22 July after Yiannopoulos failed to appear at a hearing. On Friday, he was sent to the UK.
In a statement, DHS called him an "illegal alien from the United Kingdom" who was returned "to his home country." The administration emphasizes that illegal aliens will no longer be able to fly freely within the US.
Yiannopoulos himself has in the past actively advocated for tough immigration measures. He called for mass deportations and even for ICE checkpoints at supermarkets. His critics call him a purveyor of hate speech.
Interestingly, now that he himself has faced the very rules he supported, how will his former audience react?
The detention occurred shortly before a concert by rapper Ye (Kanye West) in New Orleans. Yiannopoulos had previously worked with him as a political advisor.
Human rights activist and influencer Laura Loomer claimed that she had repeatedly contacted ICE and the FBI with information about his status. According to her, this led to his arrest.
Yiannopoulos's case fits into the overall line of the Trump administration to tighten immigration control. DHS emphasizes that the policy of "self-deportation" is now being applied consistently.
The Briton grew up in Kent and was for a long time a prominent figure in the American right-wing media scene. Now he returns to the country he once left in search of greater opportunities.
