U.S. immigration officers mentioned they detained Khaby Lame, one of many world’s hottest TikTok personalities, final week and advised him to go away the nation after they mentioned he “overstayed the phrases of his visa.”
The Italian Senegalese creator, whose actual title is Seringe Khabane Lame, entered the U.S. on April 30, in accordance with a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was granted “voluntary departure” on Friday after he was detained by brokers at Harry Reid Worldwide Airport in Las Vegas.
Lame didn’t reply to NBC Information’ requests for remark. He has not publicly commented on the reported detainment and subsequent departure.
Lame has continued to publish on social media within the days since he reportedly left the U.S. His most up-to-date Instagram story seems to have been posted from Brazil.
Sharks Celebrities Mgmt., which is among the many listed company representatives for the creator, claimed the ICE report is “faux information,” telling NBC Information in an e mail that Lame “didn’t go to the USA this month to start with.” They mentioned the “the title talked about just isn’t his start title.”
It’s unclear when Lame was final within the U.S., however he did attend the Met Gala in Might.
Lame has 162.2 million followers on TikTok, the place he grew an enormous following in the course of the pandemic after being laid off from a manufacturing facility job in Italy. The 25-year-old, who can also be a goodwill ambassador for the humanitarian assist group UNICEF, is understood for his comedic movies that always use the hashtag, “learnfromkhaby.”
The information comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration within the U.S., together with efforts to detain vacationers arriving on the border, together with airports.
In latest months, social media customers have recounted their interactions with immigration officers and shared their fears about touring again to the U.S. throughout a interval of heightened vigilance at U.S. entry factors and borders.
Lame is likely one of the extra high-profile folks so far to be detained. Final month, Hasan Piker, one of many prime political pundits on Twitch, mentioned he was stopped and questioned by U.S. Customs and Border Safety officers at Chicago’s O’Hare Worldwide Airport after a visit to France.
The Turkish American streamer, who’s vocal on plenty of political and social points, mentioned he was requested about his views, together with whether or not he helps President Donald Trump. Division of Homeland Safety Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin mentioned on the time that “claims that his political opinions triggered the inspection are baseless.”
Immigration raids have additionally ramped up throughout the U.S., together with in Los Angeles, the place protests have continued for days as demonstrators push again on the Trump administration’s aggressive roundup efforts.
