ATLANTA — She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, also known as 21 Savage, was granted release on bond Tuesday, according to his lawyers, Charles H. Kuck, Diana LaPolt and Alex Spiro.
According to a Facebook post by his lawyers, 21 Savage was granted bond pending a deportation hearing. He remains in the Irwin Detention Center in Ocilla pending processing.
Kuck said bond will be posted first thing in the morning and he will be released them.
Kuck, LaPolt and Spiro wrote on Facebook:
"For the past 9 long days, we, on behalf of She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known to the world as 21 Savage, have been speaking with ICE to both clarify his actual legal standing, his eligibility for bond, and provide evidence of his extraordinary contributions to his community and society. "
"In the last 24 hours, in the wake of the Grammy Awards at which he was scheduled to attend and perform, we received notice that She’yaa was granted an expedited hearing. Today, 21 Savage was granted a release on bond. He won his freedom."
The Atlanta-based rapper has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since Feb. 3. ICE officials said Savage is a United Kingdom national and has been living in the country illegally since 2016.
The 26-year-old has claimed to be from Atlanta and has long been considered a local act.
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The law firm representing 21 Savage, Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC, thanked the rapper's fans on his behalf on their Facebook page:
"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."
For the past 9 long days, we, on behalf of She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known to the world as 21 Savage, have been...
Posted by Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC on Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Channel 2's Kristen Holloway was in front of immigration court Tuesday when supporters rallied for his release.
A petition to release the rapper was signed by 450,000 people and placed in twenty boxes, which were delivered to the front gate of immigration court.
Organizers said the rally was about more than 21 Savage.
"The thing that bothers me the most is that we’re tearing people a part from their families," Clarise McCants said. McCants is the Criminal Justice Campaign Director for Color of Change, the organization that helped organize the rally. She, like others at the rally, believe 21 Savage is being held unjustly.
'A lot of black immigrants across the country are facing this same problem of coming in contact with law enforcement and then immediately being detained and put into proceedings for deportation," McCants said. "We must figure out a way to provide people with what they need to be able to thrive and be with their families. We can not continue to separate people from their families and communities."
BACKGROUND
After 21 Savage's arrest, federal agents told Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Mark Winne:
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested unlawfully present United Kingdom national Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph AKA '21 Savage' during a targeted operation with federal and local law enforcement partners early Sunday in metro Atlanta. Mr. Abraham-Joseph was taken into ICE custody as he is unlawfully present in the U.S. and also a convicted felon. Mr. Abraham-Joseph initially entered the U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa and he became unlawfully present in the U.S. when his visa expired in July 2006. In addition to being in violation of federal immigration law, Mr. Abraham-Joseph was convicted on felony drug charges in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia."
His lawyers said the rapper has never hid his immigration status from the U.S. government and filed for a U Visa in 2017.
They have previously said the 26-year-old rapper was brought to the U.S. when he was 7 and his legal status expired in 2006 through no fault of his own.
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