Rapper 21 Savage had a run-in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being detained and threatened with deportation in February 2019 when it was discovered that he was actually a British national who had overstayed his visa. Since then, he has been fighting for those who may find themselves in similar incidents.
Now, reports have surfaced that nonprofit civil rights organization Southern Poverty Law Center has received a big donation from the Atlanta-based rapper.
21 Savage donated $25,000 to the SPLC to provide and ensure legal counsel to detained immigrants.
“21 Savage is making this donation public because everyday Americans need to know that ICE is using civil immigration detention as a weapon against immigrants, many of whom, like 21 Savage, have relief from deportation and are able to fix their immigration status,” immigration law attorney Charles H. Kuck said in a statement, via Complex.com.
“Creating oppressively adverse conditions of detention, like those in Irwin County, Georgia, far away from family and legal counsel, causes despair and hopelessness, and forces these men and women to give up on their immigration claims. The SPLC, through its Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) stands at the front line of this fight and supporting this effort lets all Americans know that the Constitution which protects the least of us, protects all of us.”
Props to 21 Savage for putting money towards a cause he fully understands.
What Happened?
Rapper 21 Savage, born Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Atlanta, Georgia. According to ICE spokesman Bryan Cox, the rap star is an “unlawfully present United Kingdom national” and is set to be deported. 21 Savage is alleged to have entered the United States legally in 2005, but overstayed his non-immigrant visa after it expired. It was previously reported that 21 moved to DeKalb County, Georgia in July 2005, but it was never clear where he came to the Atlanta area from.