Derek Jambor, ’20 Business/Ad Manager
The United States has always been very strict when it comes to immigrants entering our country, especially if they enter illegally. Rapper Shayaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, also known as 21 Savage, has been living in the United States for 16 years. He moved here from the United Kingdom when he was 10 years old, but it is unknown who he came over with. He came over and immediately got a U.S. Visa in 2006, but it expired about four years ago and he never bothered to apply for a new visa. It is believed that Savage may have ended up on Immigration and Customs Enforcement radar after he applied for a U.S. Visa in 2017.
On Feb. 2, 2019, Abraham Joseph was arrested by the ICE because he is an illegal immigrant. He is being detained in a prison in Atlanta and according to a statement from one of Savages managers, he is being held to only 10 minutes of connection to the outside world everyday. Savage has three children, and he is only allowed to speak to one person a day so his children have to alternate days on when they can visit him. Even though Joseph is technically not a U.S. citizen, his children will be safe from deportation because they were born in the U.S. making them citizens by birthright.
Savage has been receiving tons of support on social media from other rappers and his fans. Rapper Jay Z has been very on top of the issue, and on Feb. 6, 2018 he hired a whole legal team to represent Joseph in court. Even though Savage already has lawyers working for him he will need more protection due to the fact that the U.S. does not take illegal immigration lightly. It is unknown when Savage will be charged because they have to analyze the case in grave detail before they present it to a judge.
The federal government has some options on what they could do with the case and Joseph. They could renew his visa, and he would be able to go back to his normal life, or they could deport him back to the UK, and he will not be allowed back in the U.S. for a minimum of ten years. If he does get deported, it will be very challenging for him to ever get a U.S. Visa again so he would not even be able to live in the U.S. legally again. This is because he will have to go through several background checks when he is allowed to reenter the U.S.
It will be many days before Savage receives his verdict on if he is allowed to stay or is forced to leave back to the United Kingdom. He has family and friends who all hope he gets to stay, but as of right now, it is not looking too bright for the 29-year-old rapper.
Photo courtesy of Your EDM
Lyon Life 