Are influencers Trump's next victims? Even internet celebrities are not exempt from the US president's immigration policies

Last month, several international news outlets reported that Khaby Lame, the Italian-Senegalese influencer and the most-followed profile on TikTok worldwide, had been deported from the United States after overstaying the terms of his visa. The story broke at the peak of widespread protests in the US against ICE policies (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the detention of numerous immigrants, both documented and undocumented. Deportation policies have become one of the most controversial and visible practices in recent US history. During his second presidential term, President Trump significantly increased enforcement measures against non-citizen residents, placing particular scrutiny on academics, students, and activists who had publicly taken critical stances against the government or the Republican Party. However, the Khaby Lame case revealed a new dimension of the issue, showing how even the digital star system, made up of international influencers and creators, has become a potential target of these intensified political controls.

According to Business of Fashion, lawyers assisting international influencers and creators living in the US have begun offering increasingly clear advice: steer completely clear of political content on social media. Immigration attorney Genie Doi stated openly: «Every chance I get, I tell my clients to scrub their socials, even of seemingly harmless likes or reposts, such as anti-war memes or posts featuring politically exposed figures like JD Vance» (at the end of June, a story about a Norwegian tourist denied entry to the US after sharing a meme about the Vice President went viral on social media). In a digital world where controversy and bold takes often fuel engagement, pressure on international influencers is mounting. David Melik Telfer, an immigration attorney based in Los Angeles, pointed out that most international content creators reside in the US on O1-B visas, the same category used for artists and entertainers. However, the US State Department has recently increased scrutiny of visa applications, now systematically reviewing social media activity as part of the process. «They’re checking every social media profile,» said Telfer, adding that attending protests or publicly expressing political opinions can jeopardize one’s ability to stay in the country.

Could this be Trump’s final blow to the American entertainment industry? Following various laws introduced in the past year to “protect” Hollywood’s film market—measures that faced backlash from numerous insiders and industry figures—President Trump now appears increasingly determined to extend his protectionist policies to the influencer economy. Over the past year, this sector has already experienced a notable distancing from the fashion world, which once relied heavily on influencers to reach a global audience. In a context of a digitally interconnected economy, where national boundaries blur under the viral spread of content—such as nonsensical Italian memes turned into global phenomena—one wonders whether hard borders are even realistic. Or whether such restrictive policies may simply isolate the United States from the new frontier of digital communication, driving away international talent and ultimately penalizing the very American market these policies claim to defend—just as is already happening in scientific sectors.