TikTok star Khaby Lame leaves US after immigration detainment
The world’s most-followed TikTok star has left the United States after being detained in Las Vegas by immigration authorities. A spokesperson with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Straight Arrow News that Khaby Lame overstayed his visa but was allowed to leave the country voluntarily and avoided a deportation order.
Las Vegas detainment
Lame, whose full name is Seringe Khabane Lame, is a Senegalese-Italian content creator with more than 162 million followers on TikTok. He arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday, April 30, and attended the Met Gala in New York about a week later.
On Friday, June 6, immigration agents detained Lame at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, making him one of the most high-profile individuals affected by President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
Lame moved to Italy from Senegal as an infant and holds Italian citizenship. Under the Visa Waiver Program, Italian citizens may travel to the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa.
It remains unclear whether Lame was traveling on an Italian or Senegalese passport.
Voluntary departure
Authorities granted Lame a voluntary departure, allowing him to leave the country without a formal deportation order, which could have barred him from reentering the U.S. for up to 10 years.
Voluntary departure can provide more legal pathways for returning to the U.S. and can reduce the time before reentry is permitted.
TikTok stardom
Lame, 25, rose to global fame during the COVID-19 pandemic without speaking in his videos. He became known for wordlessly reacting to overly complicated “life hack” clips, amassing a massive online following. He is one of only three people worldwide with more than 100 million TikTok followers.
Since rising to prominence, Lame has signed a brand partnership with Hugo Boss and, in January, he was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. Lame has not commented publicly on the detainment. His only TikTok post since the incident is a paid partnership with Minecraft.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
