TikTok star Khaby Lame leaves US after ICE detention

Khaby Lame, the most-followed creator on TikTok, has reportedly left the United States following his brief detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The 25-year-old Senegalese-born Italian influencer, renowned for his silent parodies of convoluted "life hack" videos, was detained at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada, last Friday (June 6). 

A spokesperson for ICE confirmed to The Guardian that Lame, whose full name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was released the same day and has since exited the country.

ICE claimed that Lame, who arrived in the US on April 30, had overstayed the terms of his visa. However, under the US visa waiver programme, Italian citizens are permitted to travel to the US for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa. Lame obtained Italian citizenship in August 2022, having resided in the country since infancy.

Authorities granted Lame a voluntary departure, allowing him to avoid a formal deportation order, which could have led to a potential 10-year ban from re-entering the US. The influencer has yet to issue any public statement regarding the incident.

According to The Independent, Gen-Z conservative influencer Bo Loudon, known for his ties to former President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that he had played a role in Lame's deportation. "No one is above the law," he wrote, adding that he had coordinated with Trump-aligned officials at the Department of Homeland Security.

Lame had recently attended the 2025 Met Gala in New York on May 5, just weeks before the incident at the Las Vegas airport.

His departure coincides with a wave of protests in Los Angeles following a series of ICE workplace raids across the city. In response, Trump authorised the deployment of the National Guard, granting it powers to conduct anti-protest operations over a 60-day period.

Musician Finneas claimed he was tear-gassed by the National Guard during what he described as a peaceful protest in LA, writing "F*** ICE" on social media. 

Guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine also took part in demonstrations, urging citizens to "defend LA," while Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong echoed similar sentiments online.

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The protests, initially peaceful, have since escalated, with reports of vandalism, including damaged police vehicles and thrown projectiles, according to the Associated Press.