21 Savage is no longer in the custody of ICE. He posted a $100,000 bond and was freed from the Irwin County Detention Center on Wednesday (February 13) after initially being granted his release on Tuesday (February 12), according to multiplereports.
Tia Smith, one of his immigration attorneys, addressed his release in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB-TV.
“He is pleased with the outcome and his family is elated, of course, that he is returning home after days of stress and uncertainty,” she said.
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A photo of the newly-freed 21 and his mother Heather Joseph was sent out to media outlets. The two are seen posing in front of a private jet.
“That’s how we take people home when they win,” Alex Spiro, another member of 21’s legal team, told TMZ.
21 isn’t in the clear yet though. His deportation case is still pending. His attorneys say the case could take years to be resolved.
[This post has been updated. The following was originally published on February 12, 2019.]
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21 Savage is expected to be released on Wednesday (February 13). His lawyer Charles Kuck told the Associated Press his client’s bond was granted too late for him to be released on Tuesday (February 12).
[This post has been updated. The following was originally published on February 12, 2019 at 12:44 p.m. PST]
21 Savage is going to be a free man again. The Epic Records artist, whose real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was granted his release on bond pending a deportation hearing on Tuesday (February 12) after being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for nine days.
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Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC, the legal team working for 21, announced their client’s release via Facebook. The immigration lawyers revealed 21 was granted an expedited hearing and shared a “special message” for fans.
“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,” the message reads.
It continues, “He will not forget this ordeal or any of the other fathers, sons, family members, and faceless people, he was locked up with or that remain unjustly incarcerated across the country. And he asks for your hearts and minds to be with them.”
21 was arrested by ICE on February 3. In the process, he was revealed to be a British citizen.
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ICE claimed 21 entered the U.S. legally in 2005 but has been illegally living in the country since 2006.
21’s reps said he actually came to the U.S. when he was 7 years old and stayed until June 2005 when he visited the United Kingdom for a month. He legally returned in July 2005 but lost his legal immigration status as a teen in 2006.
In 2017, 21 filed for a U visa. According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, a U visa can be obtained by “victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.” 21 was shot six times and his brother Johnny was killed during an attempted robbery in 2013.
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