More than a week after his arrest by immigration officials, rapper 21 Savage is out of custody. The 26-year-old has reportedly been released on bond pending a deportation hearing.
“21 Savage asked us to send a special message to his fans and supporters,” attorneys for the artist told TMZ, which first broke the news. “He says that while he wasn’t present at the Grammy Awards, he was there in spirit and is grateful for the support from around the world and is, more than ever, ready to be with his loved ones and continue making music that brings people together.”
The attorneys added that 21 Savage “will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons, family members, and faceless people he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated across the country.” The statement continued that he “asks for your hearts and minds to be with them.”
The “X” rapper, an ex-boyfriend of Amber Rose, was picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Atlanta on February 3, with ICE labeling him “unlawfully present United Kingdom national Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph” in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The ICE statement continued: “Mr. Abraham-Joseph initially entered the U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa and he became unlawfully present in the U.S. when his visa expired in July 2006. In addition to being in violation of federal immigration law, Mr. Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia.”
ICE also specified that the rapper — who was also the subject of a controversial Demi Lovato tweet — had been placed in “removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts” and that a federal judge would “determine future actions.”
At the time, attorney Dina LaPolt told Us Weekly that a legal team was “working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding.”
LaPolt added, “Mr. Abraham-Joseph is a role model to the young people in the country — especially in Atlanta, Georgia and is actively working in the community leading programs to help underprivileged youths in financial literacy.”
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