Rapper 21 Savage Arrested by ICE Ahead of Super Bowl: Reports

Rapper 21 Savage has been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a spokesman.

The agency said the rapper, whose real name is Shayaabin Abraham-Joseph, is a resident of the United Kingdom and is illegally present in the United States, CNN reported on Feb. 3.

The agency said he legally entered the United States in 2005 when he was minor, but he failed to depart the country under the terms of his visa.

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After his visa expired in July 2006, his presence in the United States became unlawful, ICE said.

“Mr. Abraham-Joseph is presently in ICE custody in Georgia and has been placed into removal proceedings before the federal immigration courts,” ICE said in a statement about the matter.

The agency said his case will now be heard by a federal immigration judge to determine the next move.

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Abraham-Joseph was also convicted on felony drug charges in 2014 in Georgia, ICE said.

His attorney, Dina LaPolt, told TMZ, “We are working diligently to get Mr. Abraham-Joseph out of detention while we work with authorities to clear up any misunderstanding.”

He claimed that the rapper is “a role model to the young people in the country … and is actively working in the community leading programs to help underprivileged youths in financial literacy.”

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According to TMZ, it’s not clear what U.K. territory he is from, but reports have indicated that he hails from the Caribbean island of Dominica, an associated state of the U.K.

Cox told CNN the rapper, who has made a number of hit songs, was arrested in a targeted sting.

He released his first album, “Issa Album,” in 2017 and second album, “I Am > I Was,” in December 2018.

Abraham-Joseph performed in Atlanta as recently as Thursday during the Super Bowl Music Fest at State Farm Arena, WSB reported

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The station reported that Abraham-Joseph had claimed to be from Atlanta and was long considered a local act.

Other details about the case are not clear.

Security Drills Near Mexican Border

U.S. border patrol officers performed a series of drills near its international border with Mexico, as thousands of Central American migrants cross overland toward the northern frontier seeking asylum in the United States, Reuters reported.

Reuters video shot from Ciudad Juarez on Thursday, Jan. 31 in Mexico, showed officers in riot gear and using gas.

At the Tijuana crossing point late on Friday, officers laid out barb wire as part of another security operation.

President Trump has hardened his stance on immigration, and specifically against the caravan of migrants.

He has sought to suspend the granting of asylum to illegal immigrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, seeking fresh ways to block the thousands of Central Americans traveling in caravans from entering the United States. He has also said any migrants seeking asylum will have to wait in Mexico whilst the claim is heard.

Reuters contributed to this report.