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The ongoing saga involving rapper 21 Savage and his ordeal with ICE officials over his reportedly expired visa, new wrinkles to the story are being added. The Atlanta artist’s legal team is currently fighting for 21’s release and say he should be freed as he faces no charges nor is he a flight risk.
The Blast reports:
The rapper’s attorney, Charles H. Kuck, tells The Blast, that 21 Savage — real name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph — was picked up by ICE “based upon incorrect information about prior criminal charges and now refusing to release him on bond of any amount, despite the fact that he has a pending U-Visa application (as the victim of crime) with USCIS, and that he has relief from removal available to him.”
Kuck says Savage “has never hid his immigration status from the US government. The Department of Homeland Security has known his address and his history since his filing for the U Visa in 2017, yet they took no action against him until this past weekend.”
The attorney argues that 21 Savage cannot be held because he is neither “a threat [to] the community or a flight risk to not show up at their hearings. Obviously, our client is not a flight risk, as he is widely recognizable, and a prominent member of the music industry. Likewise, Mr. Abraham-Joseph is clearly not a danger to the community, and in fact, his contributions to local communities and schools that he grew up in are examples of the type of immigrant we want in America.”
21 Savage’s situation isn’t unique as many immigrant families who bring children with them to the States often overstay their work visas as noted in the outlet’s report. 21’s U-Visa application was still pending approval so he was most certainly known to authorities prior to the arrest.
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Photo: WENN
21 Savage’s Legal Team Hard At Work On Rapper’s Release was originally published on hiphopwired.com
