21 Savage has been arrested In Atlanta in the early hours of Sunday morning as the city prepared to host Super Bowl LIII.
The Grammy-nominated artist was detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Savage, whose given name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, has been accused of being a British national who entered the US legally, but overstayed and violated the terms of a non-immigrant visa.
According to WSBTV, Savage allegedly entered the US in 2005 and should have departed in July of 2006.
The rapper claims to be an Atlanta native and is regarded as a local act. In 2018 he provided school supplies for 2,500 DeKalb County students.
Federal agents told journalists:
US 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 US legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his non-immigrant visa and he became unlawfully present in the US 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.
The agents continued:
Mr. Abraham-Joseph is presently in ICE custody in Georgia and has been placed into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts. ICE will now await the outcome of his case before a federal immigration judge to determine future actions.
Savage performed in the city on Thursday (January 31) at the Super Bowl Music Fest held at State Farm Arena.
Removal proceedings are now reportedly underway.
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