TikTok megastar Khaby Lame, aka the king of silent side-eye, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport on Friday. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the 25-year-old social media icon was taken into custody for “overstaying the terms of his visa.”
Rather than face a full-on deportation order, Lame was granted voluntary departure, a legal process that allows someone to leave the country on their own dime without an official deportation on their record.
DHS confirmed he has since exited the U.S., but didn’t clarify where he went. However, on Monday, Lame posted an Instagram Story tagged in São Paulo, Brazil.
A Global Star Caught in Immigration Crossfire
Lame is no stranger to global fame. Born in Senegal and raised in Turin, Italy, Lame is an Italian citizen and, more importantly, the most-followed creator on TikTok, with a staggering 162 million followers. His comedic takes on absurd “life hack” videos turned him into an internet sensation practically overnight after he lost his factory job during the pandemic.
But fame didn’t stop ICE from doing what ICE does. While most people might expect a star of his magnitude to breeze through customs, Lame’s paperwork apparently told a different story.
He had just walked the red carpet at the Met Gala in New York a few weeks prior, mingling with A-listers and designers. Fast forward a few days, and he’s suddenly in ICE custody. It’s a jarring reminder that even the biggest stars aren’t immune to the ever-tightening grip of U.S. immigration enforcement.
A Bigger Picture: Detainment Amid National Unrest
Lame’s detainment isn’t happening in a vacuum. The U.S. is currently in the middle of a massive immigration crackdown, with ICE operations ramping up in major cities. In Los Angeles, protests exploded over the weekend following raids that led to the arrest of dozens of undocumented immigrants.
The situation became so tense that President Trump deployed National Guard troops, a move that has sparked backlash from California Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, both of whom called the deployment “illegal and immoral.”
And it doesn’t stop in L.A. Demonstrations have since spread to New York, Dallas, and Atlanta, with thousands demanding an end to the aggressive ICE tactics and questioning the legality of Trump’s federal mobilization under Title 10, a rarely invoked law that allows the president to use military force in response to rebellion or invasion.
What’s Next for Khaby?
It’s unclear whether Lame will return to the U.S. anytime soon or where he plans to settle for now.
We’ll keep you posted on what’s next for Khaby Lame—wherever in the world he pops up next, he’s still the king of keeping it real without saying a word.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
