21 Savage Says ICE 'Definitely Targeted’ Him. His Lawyers Claim It’s Because of His Music.
Two days after 21 Savage rapped “Been through some things so I can’t imagine my kids stuck at the border” on national TV, the Atlanta rapper was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he was held for 9 days, and forced to miss his Grammys performance. During that time dozens of artists-including Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, SZA, DJ Khaled, Common, J. Cole, and more-came out in support of 21 Savage. His arrest sparked outrage and, as the New Yorker wrote, "has now brought into focus how little attention is given to black immigrants, who are largely erased from larger discussions about immigration and have little access to organizational resources, despite facing a disproportionately high risk of deportation."
In his first interview since being released from imprisonment, Savage, who was brought to the U.S. by his family when he was seven years old, described the nightmare to Good Morning America.
“I don’t even know, I was just driving and I just seen guns and blue lights. And then I was in the back of a car and I was gone," he explained.
ABC News's Linsey Davis asked if authorities told him he was under arrest.
"Nah, they didn’t say nothing," he replied. "They just said, ‘We got Savage.’ ... I was definitely targeted."
It's a chilling description. But what Savage believes was their intent is truly telling.
“Do you feel like you were targeted as a result of that, basically being critical of the immigration system here?” Davis asked Savage.
“My lawyers think that,” Savage replied. “I don’t really know. I can’t really say. I would see why people would think that, but I really can’t say.”
Savage's lawyer Alex Spiro-who was provided by Jay-Z-added in a separate interview with GMA that “We believe, honestly, that he was targeted-of course, like they said-and part of the reason, we think, is both because he’s a celebrity, and they can use this as a way to send a message, and also, perhaps, because of his music.”
After the arrest, an ICE representative said that Savage’s “whole public persona is false. He actually came to the U.S. from the U.K. as a teen and overstayed his visa.” This statement was also concerning, considering ICE is a government agency that has no business making arrests based off an artist's public persona.
During the GMA interview, Savage also commented on the U.S. immigration system.
"I don't think the policy is broken, I feel like the way they enforce the policy is broken," he said. "I've been here ...19 years, this is all I know. I don't feel like you should be arrested and put in a place where a murderer would be, for just being in the country too long."
ICE claimed that Savage, born Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was a "United Kingdom national" who “is unlawfully present in the U.S.” and had overstayed his visa. Agents said that Abraham-Joseph entered the U.S. legally in July 2005 when he was a minor, but failed to depart under the terms of his non-immigrant visa. According to ICE, when his visa expired in July 2016, he became unlawfully present in the U.S. After the arrest, representatives for the rapper confirmed that he was born in the United Kingdom but disputed the details of his visa, which Abraham-Joseph's lawyers say he was in the process of obtaining. The rapper's legal team says he should not be deported because he is not currently charged with any crimes.
('You Might Also Like',)