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NEW YORK (AFP) – 21 Savage's lawyer confirmed Monday (Feb. 4) that the rapper named to the Grammy Awards had exceeded the validity of his visa while he was a child, but promised to fight for his right to remain in the United States after his arrest by immigration officers.
The 26-year-old top-chart – whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph – was arrested Sunday in Atlanta, in the south of the city of Atlanta, by the US agency ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), who claims to be a British citizen.
"As a minor, his family has exceeded the validity of their working visas and, like nearly two million other children, he has found himself without legal status, without it. be responsible, "said the rapper's lawyer, Charles Kuck, in a statement.
"The continued detention of Mr. Abraham-Joseph has no other purpose than to punish him unnecessarily and to intimidate him so that he gives up his right to fight to stay at home." United States." Kuck said his client was waiting for a U visa application, intended for victims of crimes who have suffered psychological or physical abuse in the United States.
"Mr. Abraham-Joseph has never hidden his immigration status from the US government," Kuck said.
"The Department of Homeland Security knows its address and history since filing its U visa application in 2017, but they have not taken any action against it until last weekend." 21 Savage has long claimed that he was a local actor in Atlanta, the state capital of Georgia, which is considered the home of hip hop innovation.
According to Bryan Cox, a spokesman for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he came legally to the United States as a miner, but "became illegally present in the United States "at the expiration of his visa, a year later.
Cox said the artist was convicted of drug-related crimes in October 2014.
"Mr Abraham-Joseph is currently being held by ICE in Georgia and has been the subject of a referral procedure before the federal immigration courts," the statement said.
Kuck said that his client should be released on bail, saying that he "does not represent a risk of flight because he is widely recognizable and that he is an important member of the industry of the music". The lawyer also stated that 21 Savage was supporting his three children, US citizens, which made him eligible for deportation.
& # 39; Free 21 & # 39;
The arrest of the musician caused a shockwave on social media, accompanied by a number of renowned artists and industry insiders, who supported the young rapper.
"SUCCESSFUL BLACK MAN", tweeted Offset, a third of the Atlanta Migos hip hop trio.
"They are always trying to find a way to reduce us." "Free 21," said tweeted Meek Mill, a hip-hop artist, who was released from prison last year after he was sentenced to a hefty sentence for violating parole, which provoked protests against racist prejudices in US probation laws.
Rappers Lil Yachty and Vince Staples echoed this call, as did Alex Tumay, a sound engineer who regularly works with Atlanta artists.
"Abolished ICE", Tumay tweeted. "ICE stopped celebrities to divert attention from the fact that they had just admitted that they could not reconnect the children to their parents." The agency has been criticized for its aggressive application of "zero tolerance" immigration policies by President Donald Trump, including guidelines put in place last summer that have led children to get out of their homes. Latin America to be separated from their parents on the US-Mexican border.
Origins troubles
Savage, known for his rap and sober conversation style and irreproachable attitude, released his first studio album in 2017.
His lyrics cover everything from drugs and violence to systemic racism and police brutality.
His second album, I Am I Was, made his debut at the top of the Billboard 200 in December 2018, ranking first for two weeks.
The rapper is on Sunday posting for two Grammy Awards for his work on the Rockstar hit of fellow Post Malone, Rockstar, especially for the best record award of the year.
Throughout his rise, he toured the United States but did not appear to have played abroad.
In public interviews, he did not explicitly call himself an American, but regularly refers to his education in Atlanta.
Many supporters of the artist quickly noted his contributions to the community.
"Mr. Abraham-Joseph is a role model for young people in this country, especially in Atlanta," said Dina LaPolt, another of his lawyers, adding that he "was actively working in the community and running programs to help disadvantaged young people in financial matters, literacy. " Since the announcement of the 21-year-old arrest, Savage has announced that, according to British information, he is from Newham, in East London, detail that neither ICE nor his entourage n & # 39; 39 commented.
In 2016, the rapper – who speaks with a strong southern US accent – has granted an interview to VladTV, the urban news channel of YouTube, which lists several Atlanta neighborhoods that are "in the dark". he called home.
"I really grew up in Atlanta, everyone knows me," he said. "If you do not do it, you're not from this city."
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