Social Media Fame Doesn’t Override Immigration Rules
Even if you have 162 million followers on TikTok, immigration laws still apply to you. That’s the message sent loud and clear when federal agents detained Khaby Lame at Las Vegas airport last week.
Lame, whose real name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was detained Friday at Harry Reid International Airport but was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order. Lame arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and “overstayed the terms of his visa,” the ICE spokesperson said.
The 25-year-old Italian citizen became famous for his silent videos making fun of overly complicated life hacks. He would show the simple way to do things with his signature gesture – palms up and a knowing smile. His videos made him millions of dollars and the most-followed person on TikTok worldwide.
BREAKING: Famous TikToker Khaby Lame has been arrested. He overstayed in the US. He will be deported soon.
Khaby has 162 million followers on TikTok. He is from Senegal.
No one is above the law. pic.twitter.com/A8JkfIFzRW
— RTO (@rto436) June 8, 2025
From Factory Worker to Hollywood Dreams
Lame worked as a CNC machine operator at a factory near Turin, before getting laid off in March 2020. After he was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lame began posting on TikTok.
His success story sounds like the American Dream. According to Alessandro Riggio, the social media manager who signed Lame when he had only 1,000 Instagram followers, the TikToker was earning up to $750,000 per post and was on track to make $10 million by the end of 2022.
In an action comedy film called “00Khaby” – which he says will be shot in Brazil, India and the United States – Lame will play a food delivery man recruited as a spy by the American secret service. He was working on his Hollywood career and had attended the Met Gala in New York just weeks before his detention.
Why This Matters to Conservatives
This case shows that immigration enforcement works when it’s properly applied. For too long, celebrities and wealthy people seemed to get special treatment. A voluntary departure — which was granted to Lame — allows those facing removal from the U.S. to avoid a deportation order on their immigration record, which could prevent them from being allowed back into the U.S. for up to a decade.
His detainment and voluntary departure from the U.S. comes amid President Trump’s escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Trump administration has made it clear that visa overstays are a serious problem. This urgent crackdown comes after authorities arrested 45-year-old Mohammed Sabry Soliman for setting at least eight Americans on fire in a shocking terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado. Soliman is an Egyptian national who had overstayed his visa in the U.S. and remained in the country unlawfully since 2022.
The Bigger Picture on Visa Overstays
Conservatives have long argued that visa overstays represent a major security risk. The Trump administration recently expanded travel restrictions on 19 countries, citing high overstay rates and security concerns. Trump said this time that some countries had “deficient” screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. He relied extensively on an annual Homeland Security report of people who remain in the U.S. after their visas expired.
According to the Fiscal Year 2022 Overstay Report, Chad had a B1/B2 visa overstay rate of 37.12 percent. The high visa overstay rate for 2022 and 2023 is unacceptable and indicates a blatant disregard for U.S. immigration laws.
What Happens Next
USCIS, CBP, and ICE will more closely review immigration records to identify individuals who have overstayed their visas; ICE will prioritize investigating and apprehending suspected visa overstays through stronger enforcement actions.
The Trump administration has made visa overstay enforcement a top priority. “There is NO room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers.” said DHS officials in announcing the crackdown.
For conservatives who believe in the rule of law, this case proves the system can work. When immigration laws are enforced equally, regardless of fame or fortune, it sends a strong message.
This case proves that fame and money don’t put you above the law. That’s the kind of equal justice conservatives have been fighting for all along.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
