LAS VEGAS — Khaby Lame, the world’s most popular Tiktok creator who built a social media empire without saying a word, was targeted by U.S. Customs and Immigration (ICE) agents at a Las Vegas airport last week.
The 25-year-old Senegalese-born Italian influencer was detained by ICE after allegedly overstaying his visa, according to the Associated Press.
ICE Agents at Harry Reid International Airport held Khaby Lame on Friday and later allowed him to leave the country under what they call a “voluntary departure.” That means he wasn’t deported—but he’s now gone, with his reentry to the U.S. potentially blocked for years.
This comes as former president Donald Trump’s return to power fuels a renewed crackdown on immigrants—Black immigrants included. Raids in Los Angeles, expanded ICE sweeps, and renewed executive orders are testing legal limits and sparking backlash across the country.
Global icon Khaby Lame detained by ICE
The son of working-class African parents in Italy, Khaby Lame was laid off from his factory job during the pandemic and began posting reaction videos mocking over-the-top “life hacks.” With nothing but a camera and iconic facial expressions, he’s racked up over 162 million TikTok followers and became the most-followed creator on the platform.
In 2022, he signed with Hugo Boss. This year, UNICEF named him a goodwill ambassador. He walked the Met Gala red carpet just weeks ago.
Now, he’s been forced out of the U.S. by an immigration system that treats high-profile creators and undocumented laborers with the same blunt-force hostility.
A system stacked against Black immigrants
A “voluntary departure” might sound soft—but it’s ICE’s way of cutting a person loose without going through due process. Black immigrants often face even steeper hurdles to achieve aslyum and shelter from crime, poverty and war in other countries. Recently, Trump implemented a new travel ban on 12 mostly African countries.
Why it matters
When the U.S. immigration system blocks a 25-year-old creator who UNICEF, TikTok, and global fashion houses have embraced, it shows the reaches of Trump’s authoritarian agenda extends far beyond violent criminals.
Lame hasn’t spoken publicly since his detainment.
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