21 Savage confirms that he was born in the UK

On Sunday, Feb. 3, 21 Savage was arrested in Atlanta and detained by US police (ICE). In a statement, a spokesman for the CIE said 21 (whose real name is She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) is a "UK national" who "is illegally present in the United States".

Now, 21 said through representatives that he was born in the UK, as reported by Blast and Pitchfork. A report released by Reuters indicates a birth certificate from a London-based registration office stating that he was born in Newham, a borough of London.

The rapper explained through representatives that he had immigrated to the United States at the age of 7, had departed in 2005 to visit the United Kingdom and was back later in the same month. 21 claims that his legal status expired in 2006 "without fail on his part" and applied for a visa in 2017 once he discovered that he needed it. The declaration continues:

Mr. Abraham-Joseph has three children American citizens, a legitimate permanent citizen
resident mother and four siblings who are US citizens or
legal permanent residents. It has exceptionally strong links in the
United States, having lived here since he's in first grade.
Because of its length of residence in the United States and its
immediate relatives, Mr. Abraham-Joseph is entitled to ask
Cancellation of the dismissal of an immigration judge.

Mr. Abraham-Joseph was placed in eviction proceedings AFTER his
arrest, he was not in deportation proceedings before this detention
by ICE. DHS knows his address since filing a U visa
in 2017. He has never been hiding from DHS or any of his
agencies. Mr. Abraham-Joseph is not subject to mandatory detention
under federal law and is eligible for the bond. Under the law, the bond should be
granted by ICE in the absence of a risk of leakage or danger to the
community … We do not know why ICE apparently targeted Mr.
Abraham-Joseph, but we will do our best to legally seek his
release and pursue his remedies available in the Immigration Court.

At the time of his arrest, ICE stated in a statement that 21 Savage "initially entered the United States legally in July 2005, but subsequently did not leave his country under his non-immigrant visa and that he was illegally present in the United States at the expiry of July 2006. In addition to being in violation of the Federal Immigration Act, [21 Savage] was convicted of drug crimes in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia. "

The new statement by the representatives of 21 reads as follows: "Mr. Abraham-Joseph has no criminal convictions or charges under federal or state law and is free to seek compensation for removal to an immigration court. ICE provided inaccurate information to the press when it claimed that he had been convicted in criminal cases. "

Earlier in the day, Georgian congressman Hank Johnson posted a letter to the immigration judge overseeing Savage's case, in which he pleaded for the release of the rapper. "He spends his time giving back to the community and supporting and promoting the well-being of our youth," Johnson wrote. "He has been a remarkable figure and influence within his family and in Atlanta."

Shortly after the arrest, Savage 21 lawyer Charles H. Kuck issued a statement on the arrest, calling it a "civil law violation." He noted that "the continued detention of [21 Savage] There is no point in punishing him unnecessarily and trying to intimidate him so that he gives up his right to fight to stay in the United States. "

Correction: According to an earlier version of this story, 21-year-old Savage arrived in the United States at the age of 7 with an H-4 visa. His representatives retracted part of their statement regarding the H-4 visa, simply stating in a revised statement that he had arrived at 7 years old.