21 Crumpets

Rapper 21 Savage was arrested in Atlanta, GA by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sunday for being in the United States illegally, according to agency spokesman Bryan D. Cox.

21 Savage, whose real name is Shayaabin Abraham-Joseph, was in Atlanta to perform at the “Super Bowl Music Fest” at the State Farm Arena on Thursday. Savage was detained Sunday as part of a sting operation to stop his cousin and fellow artist Young Nudy, according to a CBS report. While in custody, a background check was done on Savage which revealed the nature of his immigration status.

ICE would reveal that Savage is a citizen of the United Kingdom, contrary to popular belief of the rapper being born and raised in Atlanta. The agency alleges that he entered the US legally in July 2005, when he was a minor, but failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa when it expired in July 2006. Savage faces deportation proceedings and was expected to appear before a federal immigration judge.

“We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with the authorities to clear up any misunderstandings,” Dina LaPolt, Savage’s lawyer, said in a statement on Sunday night.

Many believe that ICE is intimidating Savage in detention to get him to give up his right to remain in the United States. In response, a petition was created on Monday by “Black Lives Matter” organizers to prevent the deportation of the rapper.

“The circumstances of Mr. Abraham-Joseph’s detention stand as a testament to the consistent and historically under-reported harassment and targeting of Black immigrants,” the description of the petition reads. “The US’ violent history of criminalizing Blackness intersects with its deadly legacy of detaining and deporting Black and Brown immigrants.”

As of now the petition has already gathered over 130,000 signatures and counting.