21 Savage's Lawyer Slams ICE, Reveals New Details About Rapper's Arrest

21 Savage is not the man ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is depicting him to be, says the 26-year-old rapper's lawyer.

According to TMZ , Attorney Charles H. Kuck, who is representing 21, recently delivered a "blistering attack" on the federal agency that arrested his client Sunday (February 3).

As fans know, the father-of-three, whose real name is Sha Yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was taken into custody for possible removal from the U.S. early Sunday morning. Following his arrest, an ICE spokesperson told TMZ , 21, who was believed to be an Atlanta-native, is "a U.K. national who is unlawfully in the country and has been since 2006 when his visa expired." Kuck not only disputed ICE's claims, he told the gossip site that his client applied for a "U-Visa back in 2017" and his application is still pending. He added that ICE has known about 21's application, yet took no action until this weekend.

The attorney additionally argued that his client was brought to the U.S. as a child, and has called the U.S. home for nearly 15 years. "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," Kuck explained. The "Bank Account" rapper's attorney also slammed ICE for bringing up 21's previous criminal charges when discussing his arrest, saying the rapper pled guilty to felony drug possession in 2014, but, the conviction was expunged last September.

Kuck further bashed the agency for detaining his client, claiming he is not a threat to his community or a flight risk, noting that 21's "U.S. citizen children" live here, making him eligible for relief from deportation. Not only that, but Kuck claims that 21 is eligible for permanent residence since he applied for Visa 21, which is based on him being the victim of a crime. The attorney told TMZ, 21 was shot during a 2013 shoot out that took the life of his best friend, which "severely affected [him] physically and mentally," putting him in the position for permanent residency.

To end his ICE bashing, the attorney accused the agency of trying to "unnecessarily punish [21]," claiming they are trying "to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States," TMZ reports.

Many in the hip-hop community have come to 21's defense, slamming those who have taken the opportunity to joke about his arrest. One of the first was Wale who not only defended 21 against online trolls, but also against Demi Lovato , who tweeted that her favorite part of Super Bowl LIII were "21 Savage memes."

"Why is somebody freedom funny ... I don’t get the joke," he wrote . "A lot of people were sending you love light , prayers etc . When people were making jokes about u at a rough time. A lot of people .Bless up."

Offset also issued his thoughts about those poking fun at 21's arrest. "ALL THE MEMES AND SH*T AINT FUNNY WHEN SOMEBODY GOING THROUGH SOME PRAYING FOR MY DAWG AINT SH*T FUNNY," he wrote on Twitter Sunday. "HIS FAMILY DEPENDING ON HIM [...] SUCCESSFUL BLACK MAN THEY ALWAYS TRY SOME WAY TO BRING US DOWN ✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾."

The CEO of Quality Control Music, Pierre "Pee" Thomas, also addressed 21's arrest on social media, issuing a call to action to those closest to the rapper. "For everyone who f**k with @21Savage that got sum money and influence let's all go in on a pot to get the best immigration and criminal lawyers for him," he wrote on Instagram . "That's how you show support. Who down?"

An online petition , that has garnered over 2,500 signatures, was also started in an attempt to stop 21's possible deportation.

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