Most-followed TikTok star Khaby Lame detained by ICE, Trump influencer claims credit
Khaby Lame, an Italian-Senegalese influencer whose TikTok account boasts the most followers on the platform, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In a statement Sunday, June 8, to Paste BN, an ICE spokesperson confirmed that Lame, whose full name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained Friday, June 6, at the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for immigration violations.
Born in Senegal, Lame is now a citizen of Italy, where he has spent the majority of his life. Entering the U.S. on April 30, Lame "overstayed the terms of his visa," according to ICE, and was granted voluntary departure once detained.
Pro-Trump influencer Bo Loudon claims credit for Khaby Lame detainment
Teenage influencer Bo Loudon, a prominent pro-Trump Gen Z voice online, claimed credit for Lame's detainment.
"I discovered he was an illegal who overstayed an invalid VISA, evaded taxes, and I personally took action to have him deported," Loudon, a purported friend of the president's youngest son Barron Trump, wrote in a post to X June 6.
ICE told Paste BN via email that they had no information to provide about Loudon's claim.
In an interview with streamer Dylan Page, Loudon said that Lame had worked with a few of his friends who informed him that he had overstayed his visa.
"I just called some buddies from the administration, and I've never seen anything happen so quick," Loudon said, alleging that Lame had been given the option to self-deport but opted to stay in the country to fulfill some work contracts. Loudon, part of President Donald Trump's heavy push on social media during the 2024 presidential campaign, does not hold any elected office.
Why is Khaby Lame famous?
The 25-year-old content creator has one of the most recognizable faces on the internet. Rising to fame during the pandemic, after being laid off from his factory job in Italy in March of 2020, Lame's signature video style involves him following along as another creator demonstrates a complicated life hack, then completing the task himself with ease, often wordlessly, and shooting a knowing look at the camera.
Using the hashtag "learnfromkhaby" on many of his videos, Lame's fame is more akin to the internet stardom of yore, in which an exasperated look or a quick humorous bit, stripped of any high production value or product placement, could take off on Vine.
Lame attended the 2025 Met Gala in May, celebrating the theme of Black dandyism in style with a bespoke gray zoot suit-style ensemble. Beyond internet stardom, he is also an ambassador for men's clothing house Boss, Blockchain platform Binance and Unicef, a humanitarian aid organization.
Lame's detainment comes amid a larger immigration crackdown spearheaded by Trump. Following through on a campaign promise for mass deportations, under Trump's advisement, ICE launched raids across the country, from classrooms to workplaces to airports.
The move has been met with some resistance among the general public and the courts, who argue that some of the deportations have robbed people of due process and that, in the case of separated families, they embody a cruelty discordant with America's values.