21 Savage granted bond after more than a week in ICE custody
Rapper 21 Savage has been granted bond and will be released by Wednesday morning, his lawyer Charles Kuck told USA TODAY via email.
Kuck confirmed Tuesday that after more than a week in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 21 Savage's bond was granted and said he would be released by the morning. 21 Savage still faces the possibility of deportation.
The 26-year-old musician, who was born in the United Kingdom as She'yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was placed in federal immigration custody following a "targeted operation" in Atlanta, ICE spokesman Bryan Cox confirmed to USA TODAY on Feb. 3.
At the time, Cox said Abraham-Joseph would face federal deportation proceedings as a result of overstaying his U.S. visa as a youth. The visa expired in 2006.
21 Savage's legal team released a statement about the circumstances surrounding his release in a post Tuesday on Facebook.
"For the past 9 long days, we, on behalf of She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known to the world as 21 Savage, have been speaking with ICE to both clarify his actual legal standing, his eligibility for bond, and provide evidence of his extraordinary contributions to his community and society," the post said.
The post, signed by his lawyers Charles H. Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Alex Spiro, said that in the past 24 hours they have "received notice that She’yaa was granted an expedited hearing. Today, 21 Savage was granted a release on bond. He won his freedom."
The post said that 21 Savage had a "special message to his fans and supporters," after being held without bail and being forced cancel his plans to attend and perform at the Grammy Awards, despite earning two Grammy nominations as a featured artist on Post Malone's single "Rockstar."
"He says 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," the post read.
"(21 Savage) 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. And he asks for your hearts and minds to be with them."
Post by 223823819121.
USA TODAY has reached out to 21 Savage's publicist as well as a representative for ICE for comment.
The rapper has long been considered an Atlanta native, collaborating with Atlanta-based artists Gucci Mane and Zaytoven for the song "East Atlanta Day," in which he rapped that Glenwood Road was the place where he "got his first stripe" at age 13.
21 Savage released his debut "Issa Album" in 2017. On his single "Bank Account," he rapped that he's "straight up out the 6," a reference to the Zone 6 area of East Atlanta.
Contributing: Cydney Henderson
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 21 Savage granted bond after more than a week in ICE custody
