9 days after being detained by ICE, 21 Savage has been released on bond pending a deportation hearing.
The 26-year-old Atlanta rapper was arrested on Super Bowl Sunday for being in the United States since 2006 on an expired VISA.
ICE spokesman Bryan Cox said the rapper, is an “unlawfully present United Kingdom national,” who was taken into custody as part of a “targeted operation.”
TMZ reports:
21’s lawyers, Charles H. Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Alex Spiro tell TMZ, “21 Savage asked us to send a special message to his fans and supporters — 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 statement from 21’s legal team ends with, “He 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. And he asks for your hearts and minds to be with them.”
Savage was arrested on Super Bowl Sunday by ICE. As we reported, he was in the process of attempting to get a U-Visa.
His attorneys say 21 was granted an expedited hearing.
It’s unclear why ICE held 21 for so long because, by all rights, he should have been allowed to bond out the day he was arrested. He was neither a flight risk nor a danger to his community, which is the standard for holding someone in jail pending a deportation hearing.
The Hip Hop community has rallied around 21 Savage in an effort to help him in this unfortunate situation.
JAY-Z hired an attorney and a petition was launched to stop 21’s deportation.
I will keep you updated on this story.
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