Rapper 21 Savage can now legally travel outside the US and plans to make his first international performance in his native London.
Savage’s lawyer, Charles Kuck, told the Associated Press in a statement that his client has officially become a US citizen and may now go overseas. He cleared a major travelling hurdle after being taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Georgia in 2019.
Kuck said the Grammy-nominated artist followed “all applicable immigration laws since his initial detention by ICE.”
“His immigration court proceedings have now been terminated and he is a lawful permanent resident of the United States with the freedom to travel internationally,” Kuck said.
Savage, 30, whose given name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, spent 10 days in a detention centre in southern Georgia before his release. He was arrested in a targeted operation over his visa, which expired in 2006.
The Atlanta-based rapper said he had no idea what a visa was when his mother brought him to the US at 7 years old. He said in a 2019 interview with the AP that immigrants like him who lived in America illegally as children should automatically become US citizens.
Savage said the visa application process discourages many immigrants who don’t have documents because it “hangs over your head forever”.
Savage made his announcement about returning to London via social media but did not give details.
