February 05, 2019 - 4:22 PM
ATLANTA - The Latest on federal immigration authorities' detention of rapper 21 Savage (all times local):
7:20 p.m.
Attorneys for rapper 21 Savage say the 26-year-old has lived in the U.S. since age 7, and the federal immigration authorities who are detaining him are incorrect that he has a felony conviction on his record.
Kuck Baxter Immigration, the law firm representing the rapper whose real name is She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, issued the new statement Tuesday.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had said when announcing Abraham-Joseph's arrest in the Atlanta area Sunday that he had come to the U.S. at age 12 in 2005. But Abraham-Joseph's lawyers say that was a return to the U.S. after a brief return visit to his birthplace in England.
Both sides agree Abraham-Joseph's legal status ended in 2006.
21 Savage's attorneys also said ICE was incorrect in saying he had a criminal conviction. Fulton county prosecutors say records are sealed and they can't comment on that case.
An ICE spokesman declined further.
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3:10 a.m.
It was a shock for fans when 21 Savage was taken into custody by U.S. immigration agents in Georgia. It was an even bigger shock to learn he had been an immigrant in the first place.
The Grammy-nominated rapper and his music are so associated with Atlanta that the notion he was actually born in England and brought to the U.S. at 12 felt bizarre. It became clear that very few knew his birthplace.
Surprised tweets and memes showing him as an Englishman followed.
The rapper born She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph was truthful in his music about his tumultuous teenage years in Atlanta, he simply left out his first years.
Abraham-Joseph was detained by immigration officials Sunday. His attorneys say he has applied for a new visa and should be freed.
News from © The Associated Press, 2019