Senegalese-Italian TikTok sensation Khaby Lame was reportedly detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Harry Reid International Airport, Nevada, last Friday, June 6.
He was taken into custody at Henderson Detention Centre and was allowed a voluntary departure on the same day without the issuance of a deportation order.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, for immigration violations,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement to NPR. According to ICE, Lame legally came to the U.S. on April 30 but had overstayed beyond the date his visa allowed.
Lame’s detention and deportation occurred amid President Donald Trump’s heightened clampdown on immigrants, including recent raids in Los Angeles that turned into protests against ICE. Such departures, in fact, are discretionary, and according to ICE guidelines, those who face it escape a formal deportation on their immigration records and any other potential immigration consequences.
Khaby Lame, popular for his silent comedic TikTok persona, was born in Senegal but moved as a child to Italy and obtained Italian citizenship during the summer of 2022. He, who began posting videos on Instagram satirizing complicated life hacks during the Covid-19 pandemic, now holds top spots in social media with 162 million followers on TikTok and 80 million on Instagram.
He has several notable brand partnerships, including a multi-year agreement with Hugo Boss and a role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He was also appointed as the Official FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Brand Ambassador for QNB Group. Just days after arriving in the U.S., Lame attended the Met Gala held in New York last month.
Bo Loudon, the rising social media figure and a close friend of Barron Trump, posted about it on X, calling Lame “Far-left ILLEGAL ALIEN TikToker.” “I discovered he was an illegal who overstayed an invalid VISA, evaded taxes, and I personally took action to have him deported. No one is above the law!” Loudon posted on X. Loudon also claimed that he worked with “the patriots at President Trump’s DHS to make this happen.”
However, Lame has not publicly commented on his detention or departure yet.
 at Harry Reid International Airport, Nevada, last Friday, June 6.){kind=link}