21 Savage, photo by Philip Cosores

21 Savage was reportedly arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) early Sunday morning and is now facing deportation.

According to a statement from ICE (via WSB-TV 2), the rapper born Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph is a United Kingdom national who’s “unlawfully present in the U.S. and also a convicted felon.” The statement notes that 21 Savage “initially entered the U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa.”



Update – February 5th: According to his attorneys, 21 Savage was born in Newham, a borough of London. He immigrated to the United States with his family when he was seven years old. He briefly returned to the UK in 2005, but returned to the US after just a month. His attorneys contend 21 Savage lost his legal status in 2006 “through no fault of his own” and applied for a visa in 2017 once he learned he was in the country illegally.

Following a “targeted operation” early Sunday, 21 Savage 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.”

In a statement provided to TMZ, 21 Savage’s lawyer said, “We are working diligently to got Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding. Mr. Abraham-Joseph is a role model to the young people in the country — especially in Atlanta, Georgia and is actively working in the community leading programs to help underprivileged mothers and youths in financial literacy.”

This is a developing story…

ICE spokesman Bryan Cox: “U.S. 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.” https://t.co/G0WlPymYIr — Mark Winne (@MarkWinneWSB) February 3, 2019

“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 U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa”, Cox emailed https://t.co/MeqSZAFAcz — Mark Winne (@MarkWinneWSB) February 3, 2019

More from ICE spokesman: “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.” https://t.co/QrIwHI6Uq1 — Mark Winne (@MarkWinneWSB) February 3, 2019