He became world-famous without uttering a single word – and now he’s leaving just as silently as he came. Khaby Lame, the most-followed TikToker in the world, is no longer in the United States. Amid President Donald Trump’s escalating anti-immigration policies, the 25-year-old internet star was detained by ICE agents in Las Vegas – and left the country voluntarily before a formal deportation could be issued. The news came late at night, from the Nevada desert, and yet it hit millions like a thunderbolt: the man who brought the world to laughter with his silent critique of absurd everyday logic had come into the crosshairs of U.S. authorities. On Friday, Lame was detained at the Las Vegas airport – allegedly for overstaying his visa. What may sound like a bureaucratic formality is, in Trump’s America, already a political statement. A country once built by immigrants now treats its guests as suspects.
Khaby Lame, born in Senegal and raised near Turin, has experienced a meteoric rise in recent years. More than 162 million people follow him on TikTok, millions more on Instagram. During the pandemic, his face became a global phenomenon: he mocked the stupidity of the world with nonverbal sarcasm – hands in the air, an eye-roll, a glance that said it all. That he – the UNICEF ambassador, fashion icon, and Met Gala guest – was now apprehended by ICE shows how deeply the climate in the U.S. has changed. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Lame was allowed to “voluntarily leave” the U.S. over the weekend. Legally speaking, that’s not a deportation – but the distinction matters more to the paperwork than to the dignity of the person involved. Those who leave voluntarily avoid a formal deportation mark – a decision that doesn’t permanently block re-entry to the U.S. but still serves as a warning. Lame himself has yet to comment publicly on the incident. No statement. No video. No comment. Just silence.
And yet his trip was anything but insignificant. Khaby Lame arrived in the United States at the end of April, attended the Met Gala in New York, gave interviews, and met with brand representatives. For many companies, he is seen as a key figure in the digital branding world – an influencer who reaches millions without toxic hype. In 2022, he signed a multi-million dollar deal with Hugo Boss, and in 2025, he was named a UNICEF ambassador. But even these international roles did not shield him from ICE. Today, anyone who can’t prove their visa documents to the exact day becomes a target.
Khaby Lame’s case is part of a wave of measures dividing the country. In California, the military is deployed against migrant protests, and in New York, demonstrators are arrested for speaking out against raids. That even a global star – famous, apolitical, trend-setting – became a target, shows the system’s expanding reach. No one is too prominent to be checked anymore.
Whether Lame will return is uncertain. His name remains international, his humor universal – but his relationship with the United States has cracked. Perhaps it will be another look, another silence that says more than any headline. Perhaps this quiet goodbye is all there will be – one that tells us more about America than about the man who left it.
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