Rapper 21 Savage spent 10 days in the country’s worst immigration detention center under President Trump’s revised immigration policy.
The 26-year-old rapper, who was born in London, England, was arrested on February 3 and held without bond for overstaying his expired immigration visa. He was released from a southern Georgia prison on Wednesday, and he flew home to Atlanta on a private jet.
According to TMZ, the decision to arrest and deport 21 Savage was made months ago by the Atlanta bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Rap titan Jay-Z hired a top immigration lawyer to fight for the rapper’s rights to stay in America. But 21 may be forced to return to the U.K. as a result of President Trump’s revised immigration policy.
ICE agents believed 21 had a felony conviction, which would have disqualified him from being able to post bond.
But it was later discovered that court records showing his 2014 drug conviction was vacated had not been updated in ICE’s computers.
The UK rapper filed for a U visa in 2017, which means he has another 2 years to wait for approval.
Under previous legislation, the rapper, who was born Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, would have been allowed to stay in the country until his application for a U visa had been processed.
However, Trump’s revised immigration policy recommends deporting people who have a pending visa application. They are only allowed to return if and when the visa is approved.
He now faces a lengthy deportation hearing, after which it will be decided whether he can remain and work in the U.S.
Prior to his release, ICE agents told him they would drop deportation proceedings if he voluntarily left the country, but he declined.
The pressure is on the troubled rapper to stay out of trouble until his deportation hearing.
Photo by Moses Robinson/Getty Images for Leading By Example Foundation
