Right-wing commentator Milo Yiannopoulos, a man who once cheered on ICE raids, has found himself on the receiving end of one. The 41-year-old British provocateur is currently in ICE custody in Louisiana, awaiting deportation after a judge ordered his removal back in July.

The Department of Homeland Security, with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, referred to him as "an illegal alien from the United Kingdom" and noted he "chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation's laws." He was arrested on 27 August at the New Orleans airport, having flown into the US in May 2019 - apparently under the impression that "overstaying" was just a suggestion.

Yiannopoulos, who once called himself the "most fabulous supervillain on the internet," has a history of courting controversy. He's written columns with titles like "Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy" and "Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?" - because nothing says "thoughtful discourse" like comparing feminism to a deadly disease.

His critics call him a purveyor of hate speech, and he's faced backlash for comments on transgender people, Muslims, Black Lives Matter, feminists, and gay people - despite once identifying as gay himself. He now calls himself "ex-gay," which is certainly one way to rebrand.

In a twist that would be ironic if it weren't so predictable, Yiannopoulos has previously advocated for "on the spot deportation for anyone who can't prove they are in the US legally" and wrote last year: "Total legal immunity for ICE agents when they're on duty." He also posted in 2025: "We have got to deport millions and millions of people. Without that, nothing else matters."

Now, he's getting a firsthand taste of his own medicine. Laura Loomer, a far-right commentator and Trump ally who has feuded with Yiannopoulos, took credit for his arrest, claiming his flight back to the UK had already departed and that DHS told her he's "NEVER allowed to come back."

Yiannopoulos was an early Trump supporter, headlining a "Gays for Trump" event during the 2016 Republican National Convention. He later became a critic, posting in March that Trump "has lost his way, bought off by foreign interests." He also assisted Kanye West's 2020 presidential bid and worked for Marjorie Taylor Greene, the former congresswoman who fell out with Trump.

His history includes being uninvited from CPAC in 2017 after footage emerged of him appearing to condone paedophilia - he denied the allegations, saying he was speaking about his own childhood experiences - and he resigned from Breitbart shortly after.

The BBC has asked the British embassy for comment, but Yiannopoulos didn't respond. Perhaps he's too busy packing.