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Artist News Legal
21 Savage arrested, accused of being British
By Andy Malt | Published on Monday 4 February 2019
Rapper 21 Savage – who has previously spoken proudly of his roots in Atlanta – has been arrested by US immigration officials who say that he is a UK national in the States illegally.
A spokesperson for Immigration & Customs Enforcement said that the rapper – real name Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph – is an “unlawfully present United Kingdom national”. He is believed to have entered the US legally in 2005, aged twelve, but has allegedly been in the country without a visa since 2006.
Abraham-Joseph is now awaiting a court appearance and faces deportation to the UK. However, his lawyer, Dina LaPolt, says that there has been a misunderstanding.
“We are working diligently to get Mr Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with the authorities to clear up any misunderstandings”, says LaPolt in a statement. “Mr Abraham-Joseph is a role model to the young people in this country, especially in Atlanta, and is actively working in the community leading programmes to help underprivileged youths in financial literacy”.
Thanks to his appearance on Post Malone’s ‘Rockstar’, 21 Savage is nominated for two Grammy Awards this year. Meanwhile, his latest album, ‘I Am > I Was’, went to number one in the US last month.
