21 Savage has broken his silence following his troubling run-in with ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The Atlanta rapper sat down for an interview with Good Morning America which aired this morning. In the seven-minute interview, 21 talks about his arrest, being held in a detention center and his immigration status.
He says that he doesn’t know if the Feb. 3 arrest was a response to his lyrics on “a lot” (“Went through some things but I couldn’t imagine my kids stuck at the border”), but he does believe it was a targeted operation. He also confirms that he arrived in the U.S. when he was seven years old, but was unaware of what was a VISA was (as any seven-year-old would be).
21’s attorney, Dina LaPolt, also appeared on Good Morning America and explained that they’re working hard to secure his immigration status, but conceded “it’s very, very complicated.” 21 was released on bond on Tuesday (Feb. 12). A deportation hearing is still scheduled.
Check out the full interview, along with quotes, below.
On his Feb. 3 arrest:
“I was just driving and I seen guns and blue lights. And then I was in the back of a car and I was gone… They didn’t say nothing. They just said, ‘We got Savage.’”
On his immigration status:
“I didn’t know what a VISA was. I was seven when I first came here. I knew I wasn’t born here, but I didn’t know what that meant as far as when I transitioned into an adult, how it was gonna affect my life. I wasn’t hiding it, but it’s like, I didn’t want to get deported so I’m not finna just come out and be like, ‘Hey, by the way, I wasn’t born here, world.’”
On the arrest being a response to his lyrics on “a lot”:
“My lawyers think that. I can see why people would think that, but I really can’t say.”
On his experience in the detention centre:
“I was in one room all day [by myself]… I don’t feel like you should be arrested and put in a place where a murdered would be just for being in the country for too long.”
