TikTok sensation Khabane “Khaby” Lame has been sent back to his homeland. The Senegalese-Italian star is celebrated for his humorous “life hack” clips on TikTok, boasting over 163 million followers.
The aspiring model has also graced the runway for Hugo Boss. He recently made an appearance at the Met Gala in New York City.
Khaby was born in Senegal and moved with his family to Italy, where he grew up in public housing. They faced financial hardships, and Khaby worked in a factory to support his household.
In March 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Khaby lost his factory job. He decided to pull out his smartphone and began filming silent videos in his bedroom.
At just 25, Khaby skyrocketed to become TikTok’s leading influencer with an impressive following of over 163 million. He commands $750,000 for each sponsored post on TikTok. In 2022, his earnings exceeded $10 million.
His first significant purchase following his financial success was a home for his parents.
As reported by Newsweek, Khaby arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and was detained by immigration officials at Harry Reid airport in Las Vegas on June 6 “for immigration infractions.”
ICE representatives confirmed that Khaby was held for exceeding his visa duration but was set free the same day after agreeing to leave voluntarily.
“Lame arrived in the United States April 30 and exceeded the allowable duration of his visa. Lame was granted the option for voluntary departure June 6 and has since exited the US,” ICE officials stated to Men’s Journal.
The situation was initially disclosed by political activist and Trump supporter Bo Loudon, who asserted he played a part in notifying ICE officials of Khaby’s presence in the US.
“I found out he was undocumented, overstayed his invalid VISA, evaded taxes, and I took direct action to have him deported,” Bo Loudon posted on X (Twitter).
Loudon also claimed he teamed up with “the patriots at President Trump’s DHS to facilitate this.”
Khabane “Khaby” Lame ‘s deportation aligns with President Donald Trump’s strategy to employ local law enforcement, ICE agents, and military personnel to execute the largest mass deportation in US history.
Trump intends to deport 15-20 million immigrants during his second presidential term.
Green card holders who have resided legally in the US for many years can also face deportation if they have one conviction for a deportable offense.