Popular TikTok star Khaby Lame self-deported to his home country of Italy after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained him for overstaying his visa.
Per TMZ, Lame, who is of Senegalese descent, was at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on June 6 when the ICE detained him. The 25-year-old was, however, not processed for deportation as he was granted voluntary departure. Officials told the Post that Lame attended the Met Gala in May and overstayed his visa.
Lame has amassed over 160 million followers on TikTok, making him the most-followed content creator on the social media platform. He is said to have been in the United States for a while, but he was seemingly unaware his visa had expired.
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As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, Lame became a TikTok sensation during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. After getting laid off as an industrial worker because of the contagion’s impact on businesses and the global economy, Lame turned to TikTok and spent several hours posting funny comedy clips showing him silently ridiculing “life hacks” that were too complicated. The videos went viral, and the Italian-Senegalese star shot to superstardom.
During a previous interview with PEOPLE, Lame, who grew up in Chivasso, Italy, revealed the first major thing he bought after the cheques started flowing in.
“The first thing I did with the money I’ve made is buy a bigger house for my family,” he said. “We’re a family of seven. It’s a big family. I don’t like to spend a lot of money, but for this, my family has always done so much for me.”
The duration Lame overstayed his U.S. visa could, however, not be established. Before and after being elected, President Donald Trump made it explicitly clear that he was going to crack down on immigration, and the ICE has been doing just that.
