You may have heard the new verse on 21 Savage's "A Lot" featuring J. Cole. In it, he addresses political issues such as immigration reform, Flint Michigan needing water, and even saying that he's, "...been through some things, so I can't imagine my kids stuck a the border". Sadly, his situation was all too similar. Days after performing the newly added verse, Savage was detained by ICE, along with one of 21's friends and hip hop peer, Young Nudy. Memes were thrown up and many of his peers expressed their distaste. It went as far as Demi Lovato deleting her Twitter account because of backlash from fans and other celebs.
His attorneys said they had been working with ICE to clarify Abraham-Joseph’s legal standing, eligibility for bond and prove the value of his societal and community contributions when they learned he would be granted an expedited hearing.
The news came “in the wake of the Grammy Awards at which he was scheduled to attend and perform.”
Abraham-Joseph, 26, addressed his fans and supporters through his attorneys, saying 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.
“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,” the statement said. “And he asks for your hearts and minds to be with them.”
Abraham-Joseph was born in the United Kingdom and legally arrived in the U.S. at the age of seven, his lawyers previously said. They noted his legal status expired in 2006 “through no fault of his own.”
One day after his arrest, Abraham-Joseph’s legal team said he never “hid his immigration status” and called his detainment a “civil law violation.”
“As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like almost two million other children, was left without legal status through no fault of his own,” Kuck said in a statement obtained by the New York Daily News Feb. 4.
His attorneys said Abraham-Joseph has a pending application for a U-Visa, for which he applied in 2017.