TikTok star Khaby Lame plays soccer in Brazil after US detention
Associated Press
SAO PAULO (AP) — Khaby Lame, the world's most-followed TikTok personality who left the U.S. after being detained by immigration agents, went to Brazil where he's been spending some time with friends, local authorities said Thursday.
Lame is staying with AC Milan player Emerson Royal, and has been enjoying time with local fans, Paulo Eduardo Dias Junior, a city councilman from Americana, about 78 miles (125 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo, told The Associated Press.
On Wednesday night, they played a friendly soccer match with locals.
Lame left the United States after being detained on June 6 by immigration agents at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas for allegedly overstaying his visa. The Senegalese-Italian influencer, whose legal name is Seringe Khabane Lame, was allowed to leave the country without a deportation order, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Junior organized Wednesday's match on behalf of the nonprofit he leads, Instituto Jr Dias. He said that Lame and Royal's participation helped collect 150 food baskets for vulnerable families.
'Emerson Royal is a role model for the children in our community, and so is Khaby, who is globally known through social media. He's a sensation among kids today,' Junior said. 'He had a lot of fun with the kids and played a lot.'
The councilman said that the team that Lame and Royal were on won 3-1. Everything went smoothly, he added, except for the post-match celebration. As is tradition in Brazil, players gathered for a barbecue. But Lame preferred a parmegiana, so they took him to a local restaurant, Junior said.
This is not Lame's first time in Brazil. Last year, he traveled to the country to attend Royal's wedding. Met Gala and then detention
Lame arrived in the U.S. on April 30 and 'overstayed the terms of his visa,' an ICE spokesperson told the AP, which sent a message seeking comment Tuesday to the email address listed on Lame's Instagram account. He hasn't publicly commented on his detention.
His detention and voluntary departure from the United States comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump's escalating crackdown on immigration, including raids in Los Angeles that sparked days of protests against ICE, as the president tests the bounds of his executive authority.
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.
The 25-year-old Lame rose to international fame during the pandemic without ever saying a word in his videos, which would show him reacting to absurdly complicated 'life hacks.' He has more than 162 million followers on TikTok alone.
The Senegal-born influencer moved to Italy when he was an infant with his working class parents and also has Italian citizenship.
His internet fame quickly evolved. He signed a multiyear partnership with designer brand Hugo Boss in 2022. In January, he was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
Last month, he attended the Met Gala in New York City, days after arriving in the U.S.
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Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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