Black Lives Matter Launches Petition Against the Deportation of 21 Savage

Rapper 21 Savage is in a legal battle to remain the United States, and celebs and organizations are supporting the artist to help him stay. As of now, 21 Savage — who’s real name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph – is still being held in immigration detention while his legal team figures out their next move. In the meantime, Black Lives Matter has launched a petition to help keep him in the country.

“The hundreds of ICE assaults and detention of Black immigrants is an endemic in the United States, and is too often carried out with the assistance of local law enforcement,” the organization states. “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 US’ violent history of criminalizing Blackness intersects with its deadly legacy of detaining and deporting Black and Brown immigrants. This needs to stop today!”

The organization provided some outstanding statistics including that there are an estimated 4.2 million black immigrants are in the U.S. and 619,000 of them are undocumented. “Mr. Abraham-Joseph has been in the United States since he was a young child. Atlanta is his home. He has no current or prior criminal convictions and he is beloved by his friends, fans and family. It is shameful that he and so many Black immigrants are separated from their families on a daily basis as part of the US’s heartless and racist immigration policies,” BLM writes.

Celebrities have also come out to support the rapper, including his friend Cardi B. The Bronx rapper shared some words and an image by BLM on her Instagram. She writes: “We will read and educate ourselves on this situation and we will take action! 21 did not come here illegally and was not caught doing anything illegal or doing any mischief! in fact he have change his whole life around and as ya can see he’s been very positive in his actions and music! Now let me get ghetto ….and for ya dick breath motherfuckers talking bout “sO hE nOt FrOm AtLaNta “ he grew up there! his kids and family live there and BLEW UP there with the support of the community he was raised in. Thank you @21savage for being really good friend to me and @offsetyrn and always coming thru when we need you.”

Aside from rappers such as Wale and Offset, who’ve also come out to support 21 Savage, Nicki Minaj has as well. The artist fired back at conservative pundit Tomi Lahren who boasted about his possible deportation. Minaj – who’s worked with 21 Savage – tweeted at Lahren, “Your obsession w/our culture is scary to say the least. I hate giving you the attention you so desperately crave. Laughing @ ppl getting deported as if your ancestors discovered America. Are you Native American? You fkn clown.”

21 Savage’s legal team released a state clarifying some issues misconstrued in the media. “Mr. Abraham-Joseph has never hid his immigration status from the US government,” reads the statement. “The Department of Homeland Security has known his address and his history since his filing for the U Visa in 2017, yet they took no action against him until this past weekend. 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 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.”

Click here to sign the Black Lives Matter petition to support 21 Savage.