Par Gil Zetbase
Khaby Lame, widely regarded as the world’s most popular TikTok star, has left the United States after being briefly detained by immigration authorities for allegedly overstaying his visa.
The Senegalese-Italian influencer was taken into custody in Las Vegas last Friday amid a growing wave of immigration enforcement actions under former President Donald Trump’s crackdown on undocumented individuals. Authorities say Lame voluntarily departed the country following his release, although they did not specify the exact date of his departure.
Lame, 25, is among hundreds of individuals swept up in Trump’s latest immigration push, which has featured an uptick in nationwide raids and deportations. The crackdown has also sparked several days of protest directed at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE officials confirmed that Lame arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and remained after his visa had expired. He was detained on Friday but was released the same day, after which he chose to leave the country voluntarily.
To date, Lame has not made any public comments about his detention or departure, leaving fans uncertain about when exactly he left and where he has gone. His silence has fueled speculation on social media.
Choosing voluntary departure instead of deportation allows an individual facing removal proceedings to exit the country without receiving a formal deportation order, which can otherwise block re-entry to the U.S. for up to ten years.
Lame, who holds Italian citizenship, is permitted to enter the U.S. for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. It remains unclear what activities he engaged in during his stay in the country, aside from attending the Met Gala in May.
The TikTok megastar gained international fame during the COVID-19 pandemic through his silent, expressive videos that satirize overly complicated life hacks. Known for his deadpan facial expressions, Lame told The New York Times in 2021, “It’s my face and my expressions which make people laugh,” emphasizing that his content speaks “a global language.”
His removal from the U.S. has become one of the more visible and widely discussed deportations in Trump’s renewed immigration efforts.
According to ICE, as of early June, approximately 51,000 undocumented migrants were in detention—a figure that marks the highest number since September 2019.
