On Sunday, February 3rd, Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage was arrested by ICE officials. The agency alleged that the rapper, whose real name is Shayaabin Abraham-Joseph, was born in the United Kingdom and came to Atlanta, Georgia in July of 2005 but failed to leave the country when his visa expired a year later.
This news came as a shock to many of his fans, as the rapper has never made reference to his true origins. Michael Wright (12) found humor in the situation.
“I think it’s hilarious that nobody realized that he was faking it the whole time. How many years has he been in the public eye and people are just know realizing it?” said Wright.
Charles Kuck, a legal representative for Abraham-Joseph, defended his living in the United States in a statement on Monday.
“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. This is a civil law violation, and the continued detention of Mr. Abraham-Joseph serves no other purpose than to unnecessarily punish him and try to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States,” said Kuck.
Kuck also stated that the rapper was awaiting an answer on a visa application that he filed in 2017 as a crime victim. According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ website, the particular visa Abraham-Joseph is applying for “is for victims of certain crimes who have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse and are helpful to the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity.”
While the exact criminal case this visa is in reference to is unknown, it has been speculated that it may be connected to a shooting that occured in 2013, on Abraham-Joseph’s 21st birthday, in which he was shot six times.
The rapper is currently in removal proceedings before federal immigration court according to a statement made by ICE. Whether or not he is deported back to the UK will be decided by an immigration judge.

UPDATE: After spending a week in jail, Savage was released on bail on Wednesday, February 13th. His next court date is set for April 11th.

Sources
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/03/us/rapper-21-savage-arrest-ice/index.html
https://www.ajc.com/news/local/savage-overstay-visa-through-fault-his-own-attorneys-says/NHIT03PA9WUdFrVo2XgYCP/
https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/other-ways-get-green-card/green-card-victim-crime-u-nonimmigrant

Courtesy of The New York Times