British commentator Milo Yiannopoulos appeared on Piers Morgan’s interview program on Tuesday, recounting a harrowing encounter with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a Louisiana airport. Yiannopoulos, 41, said he was “really, really terrified” after agents handcuffed his hands and feet together with metal manacles.
“It hurts a lot more than it looks like on television,” he told Morgan, adding that the experience was “humiliating,” “disorienting” and “physically degrading.” He said the episode left him frightened in a way he had never felt before.
Detention and deportation details
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Yiannopoulos was detained on Thursday after overstaying his visa, which had originally been granted for entry on May 14, 2019. After a brief stay at an ICE processing center, he was deported to the United Kingdom the following day.
Yiannopoulos has built a reputation in the United States as a provocative conservative voice, writing for Breitbart News and speaking at numerous events since 2015. He was an outspoken supporter of President Trump during the 2016 campaign, often referring to the president in a joking manner as “Daddy.”
Shift in perspective on immigration enforcement
Despite his earlier advocacy for aggressive immigration enforcement, Yiannopoulos said in the interview that he now feels “very ashamed” of his past support for the Trump administration’s deportation drive. He questioned whether ICE is fulfilling its mission, stating, “ICE is supposed to deporting criminals, and they’re not doing that.” He also expressed newfound empathy for those affected by ICE operations, noting, “I think maybe, in the past, I’ve been a little bit blasé when people talked about their trauma. But I get it now, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
In a June 2025 post on X, Yiannopoulos had urged the administration to “deport millions and millions and millions of people” as a top priority, emphasizing his prior belief that strict enforcement was essential to border security.
Context of the Trump administration’s immigration policy
The Trump administration has continued to prioritize immigration enforcement, emphasizing the removal of individuals who have entered the country illegally or overstayed visas. While supporters argue that strong enforcement protects national security and upholds the rule of law, critics contend that the approach can be overly harsh and lacks sufficient focus on criminal offenders.
Yiannopoulos’s personal experience adds a human dimension to the ongoing debate, illustrating how even high‑profile conservatives can be affected by the very policies they once championed.
As the conversation around immigration continues to evolve, Yiannopoulos’s testimony may influence both supporters and opponents of the administration’s enforcement strategy, highlighting the need for a balanced approach that respects the Constitution, protects families, and upholds the nation’s legal standards.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
