21 Savage Arrest and Continued Detainment Based on 'Incorrect Information,' Says Lawyer

21 Savage remains in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's custody following his arrest in Atlanta on Sunday. However, the rapper's lawyer claims Savage's detainment is all just one big fluke. Attorney Charles H. Knuck claimed Savage's arrest is "based upon incorrect information about prior criminal charges."

Knuck released a statement regarding the I Am > I Was rapper's arrest on Monday. He noted Savage, whose birth name is Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was being held by ICE without bond "despite the fact that he has a pending U-Visa application with the USCIS, and that has relief from removal available to him."

Knuck also challenged the agency's decision to keep Savage in custody. "ICE can only continue to detain individuals who are a threat to the community or a flight risk to not show up at their hearings. Obviously, our client is not a flight risk, as he is widely recognizable, and a prominent member of the music industry," he said.

Noting Savage's philanthropic efforts, Knuck said the rapper is "clearly not a danger to the community."

"In fact, his contributions to local communities and schools that he grew up in are examples of the type of immigrant we want in America," he continued.

In addition to being a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated artist, Savage has used his fame and wealth to impact the Atlanta community he was raised in. Alongside non-profit organization Get School, in 2018, Savage developed the 21 Savage Bank Account Campaign, which aims to teach underserved youth financial literacy.

Savage also hosts an annual school supply drive for more than 2,500 students attending DeKalb County Schools. He appeared at the event for the third year in August at a flea market he often shopped at as a teen, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

According to Knuck, Savage's continued detainment is a civil law violation, considering the rapper has not been charged with any crimes. "As a minor, his family overstayed their work visas, and he, like most two million other children, was left without legal status no fault of his own," Knuck said.

"This is a civil law violation, and the continued detention of Mr. Abraham-Joseph serves no other purpose than to unnecessarily punish him and try to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States," he said. He rose above the difficult circumstances of his youth to achieve success and make contributions to our society that rival any of those by a natural born citizen."

ICE agents arrested Savage on claims of the 26-year-old actually being a U.K. citizen and remaining in the U.S. on an expired visa.

Via his reps, Savage confirmed that he was born in Newham, which is an area of London, and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 7 years old. However he left to visit his home country in 2005, but returned to the states that same month.

ICE claimed his visa expired the following year in 2006 and was never renewed. Savage's lawyer said the "A Lot" rapper has "never hid his immigration status" and that the Department of Homeland Security has been aware of his immigration history and home address since he first filed for the U-Visa in 2017.

A U-Visa—otherwise known as a U Nonimmigrant Status—is legal documentation offered to victims of various crimes who have suffered mental or physical traumas, ICE explained on its website. Often, those with U-Visas have aided law enforcement or government officials with investigations pertaining to criminal activity in regards to domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.

Knuck added: "Mr. Abraham-Joseph has U.S. citizen children that he supports and is eligible for relief from deportation. We and he will fight for his release, for his family, and his right to remain in our country. No one would expect less from him."