World most followed Tiktoker Khaby Lame deported from US over visa violation
Khaby Lame, the world’s most popular TikTok personality, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on June 6, 2025.
The reason for his detention was an alleged visa violation; specifically, he was accused of overstaying the terms of his visa
Lame had entered the U.S. on April 30, 2025. He was granted a voluntary departure, allowing him to leave the country without a formal deportation order.
This means he avoids a deportation order on his record, which could have prevented him from returning to the U.S. for up to a decade.
The specific details of Lame’s visa, including its type and duration, were not disclosed by ICE. The agency only confirmed that he had overstayed the terms of his visa.
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Italian citizens are allowed to stay in the U.S. for business or tourism purposes for up to 90 days without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program, but it’s unclear if this applied to Lame’s situation.
Lame’s detention occurred amid an escalating crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration.
This has included increased enforcement actions and raids. Some individuals, including a self-described “pro-Trump influencer,” claimed to have played a role in reporting Lame to ICE. This claim has sparked controversy.[6] Lame has not publicly commented on the incident.
Khaby Lame, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, is a Senegalese-Italian influencer. He moved to Italy as a child and became an Italian citizen in 2022. He gained international fame during the COVID-19 pandemic for his silent comedic reactions to complicated “life hacks” videos. He has over 162 million followers on TikTok. He is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
His deportation has sparked a storm of reactions online.
“Every single illegal alien needs to be DEPORTED. When I found out the biggest TikTok star, Khaby Lame, is an illegal alien evading taxes, I worked with Trump’s ICE to have him removed. He’s since been detained by ICE and removed,” Bo Loudon, a Gen Z Trump supporter and self-styled activist, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Following his deportation, Lame has not issued any formal statement. However, on Monday, he posted an Instagram story tagged in São Paulo, Brazil, marking his first confirmed location since leaving the US
Lame’s former legal representative, Riccardo Lanzo, told The New York Times that the influencer had spent significant time in the US recently but acknowledged uncertainty regarding his visa status.
