TikTok Star Khaby Lame 'Self-Deports' After US Detention: 'Granted Voluntary Departure'

One of the most followed social media stars globally was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and granted voluntary departure from the country.

Here's the latest.

What Happened: Efforts from the White House administration are ramping up to detain illegal residents in the U.S. and deport them.

Khaby Lame, who is the most followed person on TikTok, was recently detained by ICE in Las Vegas for overstaying his visa, according to a New York Post report.

Lame attended the Met Gala in New York City in May before later being arrested at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on June 6.

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Seringe Khabane Lame, 25, a citizen of Italy, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada for overstaying the terms of his visa," a senior Department of Homeland Security official told the New York Post.

Lame was "granted voluntary departure" on June 6 and since "self-deported" the U.S., the official said.

The content creator, who was born in Senegal, came to the U.S. on April 30 with a temporary visa.

Read Also: Make Way For The TikTok King! Khaby Lame Looks To Conquer YouTube With Long Videos

Why It's Important: Lame was born in Senegal and moved to Italy at a young age with his family, before later becoming a resident of the European nation.

Laid off from his factory job in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lame turned to TikTok and content creation after moving back to his family apartment.

Lame quickly found success by mocking "life hack" videos with reaction videos, which show him accomplishing tasks in an easier way and then using his signature gesture.

In 2022, Lame became the most-followed account on TikTok, passing Charli D'Amelio. Today, Lame has over 162 million followers on the platform.

With reports on Lame's detainment and deportation, political activist Bo Loudon, a Donald Trump supporter, has been linked to reporting Lame to ICE authorities.

"Far-left ILLEGAL ALIEN TikToker Khaby Lame was just arrested and is now in ICE custody under President Trump. I discovered he was an illegal who overstayed an invalid VISA, evaded taxes, and I personally took action to have him deported. No one is above the law!" Loudon tweeted.

Loudon's report and Lame's detainment have gone viral and could show the power of social media and activists turning in people to ICE and having them deported. There is also no current evidence that Lame is “far left” politically.

The detainment also comes as TikTok faces a pending ban in the U.S. if a deal is not reached to sell the U.S. arm of the social media company.

Lame has not publicly addressed the incident.

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Photo: Jay Hirano via Shutterstock