Rapper 21 Savage to be released by ICE
Other performers have expressed support for singer
The Atlanta Immigration Court granted 21 Savage a release on bond Tuesday, according to his lawyers. The rapper was taken into custody Feb. 2 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who said he is actually “a United Kingdom national” who overstayed a nonimmigrant visa. The bond will be posted Wednesday.
Lawyers Charles Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Alex Spiro spoke with ICE to “both clarify (21 Savage’s) actual legal standing, his eligibility for bond, and provide evidence of his extraordinary contributions to his community and society,” they wrote in a statement, adding that he was granted an expedited hearing and “won his freedom.”
ICE spokesman Bryan Cox told The Washington Post after the arrest that 21 Savage, whose real name is She’yaa Bin AbrahamJoseph, had entered the country legally in July 2005 but didn’t leave under the terms of his visa, which expired a year later. Kuck responded with a statement saying that the rapper’s family had overstayed work visas when he was a minor, and that he had never hidden his immigration status from authorities.
21 Savage, 26, was taken into custody hours before the Super Bowl, which also took place in Atlanta, and days after he performed at the star-studded Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest. Several rappers - including Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, Vince Staples, Quavo and T.I. - expressed support for 21 Savage on social media. Jay-Z announced Wednesday that he and his company Roc Nation had joined the effort to free 21 Savage. They hired Alex Spiro, a New York attorney who has represented several other high-profile clients, including Jay-Z himself.
“The arrest and detention of 21 Savage is an absolute travesty, his U visa petition has been pending for 4 years,” Jay-Z wrote in a tweeted statement.