Former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and will remain in federal custody while authorities move forward with his removal from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital.
According to Fox News, Yiannopoulos, a United Kingdom national, was arrested Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Kenner, Louisiana, according to DHS.
ICE sources told Fox News that Yiannopoulos is being held in Alexandria, Louisiana, which is used as a major detention and processing location for the agency's deportation operations.
DHS said Yiannopoulos legally entered the United States through New York City on May 14, 2019. The agency said he remained in the country after his authorized period of stay expired.
An immigration judge issued a final order of removal on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to appear for his immigration hearing, according to DHS.
The department said he will remain in ICE custody while authorities carry out the removal order.
"Yiannopoulos legally entered the country on May 14, 2019, through New York City, New York. He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws," DHS said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The department also pointed to the arrest as an example of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies.
DHS said the administration had reversed a Biden-era policy that the department characterized as allowing people who are unlawfully present in the United States to travel domestically by air.
The department also encouraged people in the country illegally to use the CBP Home app to arrange their own departure from the United States.
ICE's online detainee locator lists Yiannopoulos as being in the agency's custody, according to a screenshot reviewed by Fox News.
Yiannopoulos became nationally known as a provocative political commentator and spent time as an editor at Breitbart News.
He developed a reputation for controversial speeches and online commentary, including appearances and events that drew significant attention at the University of California, Berkeley.
His arrest now puts the former media figure at the center of a federal immigration case. DHS said he will remain detained pending his removal from the country.