New Details Suggest 21 Savage Is A Victim, Not An Impostor
On Sunday (February 3), rapper 21 Savage was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia. He was then taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. A spokesperson for ICE claimed that the 26-year-old born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph had been in the United States unlawfully since July of 2005, and called him a “United Kingdom national.” Additionally, ICE cited a felony drug conviction in 2014 that took place in Fulton County, Georgia. As a result of this action, the Rap star currently faces deportation.
21 Savage, who released i am > i was at the end of last year, has confirmed that he was born in the United Kingdom. Reuters researched a London registry that had a record of Abraham-Joseph‘s birth certificate. It confirms that the Slaughter Gang artist is from Newham, an eastern borough of the city.
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These developments have prompted some to make light of the situation. Over the last five years, 21 Savage is regularly thought to be part of a new wave of Atlanta artists. His English background was not something widely known about the artist with a recent #1 album. A dialect was not detected in music.
Chris Brown has been among those participating in sharing social media posts clowning the news:
Pop singer Demi Lovato deleted her Twitter account after claiming on Sunday that, “So far 21 Savage memes have been my favorite part of the Super Bowl.” Rap peers, including Wale, checked the singer about the gravity of the issue she found humorous.
Other accounts, including WorldstarHipHop, shared memes at the rapper’s expense:
Why y’all 21 Savage like this?! ? pic.twitter.com/cjoL3W8w1r
— WORLDSTARHIPHOP (@WORLDSTAR) February 3, 2019
Meanwhile, 21 Savage’s spokespeople have also acknowledged that he confirms being born in the United Kingdom. In additional correspondence, his team has stated that 21 immigrated to the United States at the age of seven, which would have been approximately 1999 or 2000. In 2005, he visited the UK. One year later, he lost his legal status. 21’s team says that the status change was “no fault of his own,” but does not specify further. It can be presumed it was because the then-boy was a minor. In 2006, Abraham-Joseph was approximately 13 years old. The team adds that since 2017, the rapper has actively been applying for a visa when he learned of his legal status.
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The artist’s team released the following statement, as published by Pitchfork:
Mr. Abraham-Joseph has three U.S. Citizen children, a lawful permanent resident mother and four siblings that are either US Citizens or lawful permanent residents. He has exceptionally strong ties in the United States, having lived here since he was in the first grade. Because of his length of residence in the United States and his immediate relatives, Mr. Abraham-Joseph is eligible to seek Cancellation of Removal from an Immigration Judge.
Mr. Abraham-Joseph was placed into deportation proceedings AFTER his arrest, he was not in deportation proceedings prior to this detention by ICE. DHS has known his address since the filing of a U visa application in 2017. He has never hidden from DHS or any of its agencies. Mr. Abraham-Joseph is not subject to mandatory detention under federal law and is eligible for bond. By statute, bond should be granted by ICE when there is no flight risk or a danger to the community… We are unaware of why ICE apparently targeted Mr. Abraham-Joseph, but we will do everything possible to legally seek his release and pursue his available relief in immigration court.
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Additionally, 21’s team denies the accuracy of reports surrounding his 2014 drug charges. “Mr. Abraham-Joseph has no criminal convictions or charges under state or federal law and is free to seek relief from removal in immigration court. ICE provided incorrect information to the press when it claimed he had a criminal conviction.”
Georgia Congressman Hank Johnson is among those seeking 21 Savage’s release from custody. In a public letter to the presiding immigration judge, the Congressman cited 21’s community activism and being the primary source of income to an extended family.
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Meanwhile, 21’s lawyer, Charles H. Kuck, has called the arrest “a civil rights violation” and a tactic of intimidation used against the wrongfully imprisoned man’s rights.