Rapper 21 Savage claims US immigration officials are trying to ‘intimidate’ him into leaving the US
His lawyer Charles H Kuck denied the rapper had ever hid his immigration status or birthplace and slammed cops for detaining his client – claiming he is not a flight risk.
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The Grammy-nominated artist, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, came to the US from the UK on a visa when he was 12 in 2005 and never left, officials say.
Mr Kuck said: “As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like almost two million other children, was left without legal status through no fault of his own.”
The lawyer accused immigration officials of trying to “unnecessarily punish him” claiming they are trying “to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States”.
'UNNECESSARY PUNISHMENT'
He said that 21 Savage actually applied for a U-Visa back in 2017 – on the basis of being a victim of crime – and the application is pending.
In 2013 he was shot during an incident in which his best friend was murdered.
Mr Kuck says the star was “severely affected physically and mentally” after the shooting and has applied to stay in the US.
The lawyer added that his client has US citizen children, whom he supports and is eligible for relief from deportation.
He insisted the arrest was based on “incorrect information about prior criminal charges".
Savage pled guilty to felony drug possession back in 2014, but that conviction was expunged last September, TMZ reported.
The rapper, who previously dated model Amber Rose, was arrested Sunday morning in a targeted operation in the Atlanta area.
RAPPER FACES DEPORTATION
He is now in custody in Georgia and faces deportation proceedings in federal immigration courts.
This comes as a shock to his fans, who considered the rapper an Atlanta local.
It is not yet known whether Savage, who is believed to be 26, would have been eligible for protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program.
This protects "Dreamers" – young immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children.
DACA does not cover people convicted of felonies.
Variety said the rapper performed as recently as Thursday in Atlanta as part of the run-up to Sunday's Super Bowl game in the city.
His most recent album, I Am > I Was debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
An ICE official told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that when Abraham-Joseph was arrested in 2014, ICE was not aware of his immigration status.
It only learned later that he is allegedly from the UK, the official said.
GRAMMY-NOMINATED ARTIST
21 Savage has been nominated for two awards at the 2019 Grammys, including record of the year for Rockstar with Post Malone.
On Friday he released a video for the album’s lead track, a lot, which mentions border family separation.
Abraham-Joseph’s place of birth could not immediately be determined, although some listings named it as Dominica, a former British colony.
A spokesperson for ICE told CNN's Nick Valencia: "His whole public persona is false. He actually came to the US from the UK as a teen and overstayed his visa."
Abraham-Joseph has previously spoken about growing up in "beat-up a** apartments" in Atlanta with his mum named Heather and four brothers and six sisters.
In a 2016 interview with The Fader, he claimed he was banned from all schools after bringing a gun to class when he was 12 or 13.
He said: "I probably broke the record for the youngest n***** to bring a gun to that school."
The rapper also appears to have an interest in air travel.
Old reports state he has a fear of flying and being "hijacked" but he has also pursued his own flying license and took the controls of a small private plane during a flight to Miami in 2017.
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