Lawyer for 21 Savage Calls Arrest 'a Civil Law Violation' Based On 'Incorrect Information'

An attorney for 21 Savage has released a statement regarding the rapper’s arrest by ICE on Sunday, saying that he was apprehended “based upon incorrect information about prior criminal charges.”

Charles H. Kuck wrote that his client—real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph—has a pending U-Visa application, which are offered to victims of crimes who have suffered “substantial” physical or mental abuse. He added that 21 Savage never kept his immigration status a secret, and that the Department of Homeland Security has known his address since he applied for the visa in 2017:

“ICE can only continue to detain individuals who are a threat the community or a flight risk to not show up at their hearings. Obviously, our client is not a flight risk, as he is widely recognizable, and a prominent member of the music industry. Likewise, Mr. Abraham-Joseph’s is clearly not a danger to the community, and in fact, his contributions to local communities and schools that he grew up in are examples of the type of immigrant we want in America.

“ICE has not charged Mr. Abraham-Joseph with any crime. As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like almost two million other children, was left without legal status through no fault of his own. This is a civil law violation, and the continued detention of Mr. Abraham-Joseph serves no other purpose than to unnecessarily punish him and try to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States. He rose above the difficult circumstances of his youth to achieve success and make contributions to our society that rival any of those by a natural born citizen. Mr. Abraham-Joseph has US citizen children that he supports and is eligible for relief from deportation. We and he will fight for his release, for his family, and his right to remain in our country. No one would expect less from him.”

[Pitchfork]

Apparently this…worked?

Hours later, @pizzahut replied “Done.” Does this mean Pizza Hut will donate “a load of pizzas” to a homeless shelter at every location where there’s a Pizza Hut? Because Wikipedia says there are 16,796 restaurants worldwide. I await further details before I praise either Pizza Hut or Sia.