Khaby Lame Leaves U.S. after brief ICE detention over visa issue
Khaby Lame, the world’s most-followed TikTok creator, has left the United States after being briefly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly overstaying his visa. The 25-year-old Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose real name is Seringe Khabane Lame, arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and was taken into custody at Las Vegas’s Harry Reid International Airport on Friday.
A spokesperson for ICE confirmed that the Tiktok star was permitted to leave voluntarily, thereby avoiding a formal deportation order that could have barred him from re-entering the U.S. for up to ten years.
The incident unfolds against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown, which has triggered widespread protests and legal challenges. ICE raids in cities like Los Angeles have provoked national outcry, and California Governor Gavin Newsom has vowed to sue the federal government over what he described as the illegal federalization of the National Guard.
“This is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. He flamed the fires and illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” the California Governor said, calling the president’s move unconstitutional and warning that it could extend to any state.
The TikTok creator, who gained global fame through silent reaction videos poking fun at overcomplicated life hacks, currently boasts over 162 million followers on TikTok. Born in Senegal and raised in Chivasso, Italy, Lame became a viral sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic after losing his job at a factory.
He became an Italian citizen in 2022 and was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in January 2025, a role he assumed in Dakar, Senegal.
