21 Savage’s lawyer has vowed to "fight for his release" after he was arrested by immigration officials at the weekend.
The ‘No Heart’ rapper – whose real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph – was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Georgia on Sunday (03.02.19) after they alleged he is a British citizen and has overstayed his United States visa for over a decade and his legal team have now claimed his arrest was a civil law violation and accused the authority of refusing to release their client "on bond of any amount".
In a lengthy statement, lawyer Charles H. Kuck criticised ICE’s actions, claiming they had proceeded following "incorrect information about prior criminal charges" and insisted the 26-year-old star "has never hidden his immigration status from the US government" as he applied for a new visa two years ago.
The lawyer also insisted the Department of Homeland Security "has known his address and his history since his filing for the U Visa in 2017".
The statement urged ICE to release 21 Savage from detention because he is "not a flight risk" or a "danger to the community".
It continued: "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…
"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.
"He rose above the difficult circumstances of his youth to achieve success and make contributions to our society that rival any of those by a natural born citizen."
Mr. Kuck vowed to continue to "fight" for the release of the rapper.
The statement concluded: "Mr. Abraham-Joseph has US citizen children that he supports and is eligible for relief from deportation. We and he will fight for his release, for his family, and his right to remain in our country. No one would expect less from him."
ICE have yet to respond to the statement.
21 Savage’s lawyer calls for release
