A online petition demanding that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement not deport 21 Savage (She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) has begun to make the rounds on the internet, a day after reports that the Atlanta-based rapper has been detained by ICE, who alleges that he is a U.K. resident and overstayed his visa when he was a teen.
As Rolling Stone reports, “a petition from Black Lives Matter has been released, demanding that Abraham-Joseph’s potential deportation be halted. BLM is joined by a coalition of other civil rights organizations, including Undocublack, a network of undocumented black people, Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy non-profit, and Define American, an organization which uses storytelling to attempt to redefine how America understands immigration and citizenship. (Editor’s Note: Kristian Ramos of Define America has contributed to Latino Rebels).
“There are around 4.2 Million Black immigrants in the U.S.—619,000 are undocumented,” part of the petition said. “Mr. Abraham-Joseph has been in the United States since he was a young child. Atlanta is his home. He has no current or prior criminal convictions and he is beloved by his friends, fans and family. It is shameful that he and so many Black immigrants are separated from their families on a daily basis as part of the U.S.’s heartless and racist immigration policies.”
As of this posting, the petition has gotten close to 7,000 signatures, with new signatures being posted every minute.
[…] A petition to stop the deportation of 21 Savage has over 460,000 signatures. […]