Kanye West has severed ties with Milo Yiannopoulos following the British influencer's deportation from the United States, according to exclusive reports. A source close to West told the Daily Mail that the rapper no longer wishes to be involved with Yiannopoulos and has asked him to vacate one of his properties.
Yiannopoulos, who previously served as a de facto publicist and chief of staff for West, was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. He has since been deported to the United Kingdom.
West, 49, reportedly had no knowledge of Yiannopoulos's intention to attend a scheduled concert the following day. The source indicated that Yiannopoulos had been a source of issues within West's circle for some time, and that West had received multiple warnings about him.
Complicating matters, Yiannopoulos allegedly misled West and others about his immigration status. He reportedly claimed to be in the US on an O-1 visa, which is for individuals with extraordinary ability, and that he was in the process of becoming a US citizen through marriage. However, ICE confirmed that Yiannopoulos had overstayed his welcome in violation of US law and had been issued a final order of removal on July 22 after failing to appear for his immigration hearing.
West is reportedly concerned about the work Yiannopoulos performed for him, particularly regarding visa assistance for international artists and models associated with his Yeezy brand. A team is allegedly reviewing all of Yiannopoulos's past work to ensure its legality, given his own immigration violations.
Yiannopoulos's public profile includes a controversial tenure as an editor for Breitbart News, from which he resigned in 2017 following the release of videos that appeared to show him condoning statutory rape. He attributed the controversy to deceptive editing and his own imprecise language.
He also previously espoused strict immigration policies, advocating for mass deportations during the Trump administration. Ironically, Yiannopoulos had publicly aligned himself with Trump's immigration stances on social media.
Despite West's historical ties to former President Donald Trump, the source stated that West would not intervene on Yiannopoulos's behalf and does not plan to discuss the matter with anyone.