What led to Khaby Lame’s detention by ICE at Las Vegas Airport?
TikTok star Khaby Lame was detained at the Harry Reid International Airport by ICE. What happened?
The Italian-Senegalese TikTok star Khaby Lame has been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, June 6 at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
According to the statement given by an ICE spokesperson on June 8, Seringe Khabane Lame, better known as Khaby Lame; was detained due to immigration violations.
Who is Khaby Lame?
While he is now an Italian citizen, Khaby Lame was born in Senegal. As a 25-year-old content creator, he is one of the most recognizable faces of the internet. He first rose to fame in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, after he was laid off from his factory job.
His signature video style usually features him reacting to another creator's "complicated" life hacks and him completing the task in a simpler way; without saying any word, looking straight to the camera with his signature look.
With almost 162 million followers on TikTok, he defeated influencer Charlie D'Amelio for the seat of TikTok's Top Star. Khaby Lame is also ambassador of UNICEF and has many brand deals, the biggest one being for BOSS.
Voluntary departure granted to Khaby Lame
Apparently, Khaby Lame first came to the U.S. for the 2025 Met Gala, celebrating Black dandyism throughout history, as one of the few invited by the editor of Vogue, Dame Anna Wintour. The ticket for this exclusive event has a price of approximately $75,000 per ticket.
However, as he entered the country on April 30, "overstayed the terms of his visa," according to ICE.
Nonetheless, the TikTok star was granted voluntary departure once detained. His deportation comes amid ICE's immigration crackdown leaded by President Donald Trump.
