Khaby Lame, the world’s most-followed TikTok creator, has fled the United States after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for visa violations. The 25-year-old Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose real name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was held at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on June 6.
According to ICE, Lame was found to have overstayed the terms of his visa following his appearance at the Met Gala in New York last month. He was granted “voluntary departure,” a process that allows individuals facing deportation to leave the country without a formal removal order, an option that protects his ability to return legally in the future.
Lame, who skyrocketed to fame during the COVID-19 pandemic by humorously debunking bizarre internet “life hacks,” has amassed over 162 million followers on TikTok. His departure comes at a time of heightened immigration enforcement and unrest across major U.S. cities.
Protests against President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration raids have erupted in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Omaha, and Seattle. In LA alone, nearly 200 people were arrested during demonstrations earlier this week, prompting city officials to impose curfews from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Mayor Karen Bass reported that 23 businesses were looted during four days of unrest.
In response to the escalating tensions, the Trump administration has deployed 700 active-duty Marines to support National Guard operations in Los Angeles. The president has also signaled a potential invocation of the Insurrection Act, a rarely used statute that allows the deployment of military forces on domestic soil to restore order.
“If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We’ll see,” Trump said from the Oval Office.
Lame’s abrupt exit adds a high-profile twist to the ongoing immigration debate, illustrating the broad impact of the administration’s hardline stance on visa enforcement, even on global celebrities.
Written By Rodney Mbua
