While 21 Savage has opened up on the subject of his February 2019 arrest during sporadic interviews, the Atlanta-based rapper is also working to take action to help support those in a similar situation.
As confirmed by his attorney, Charles Kuck, 21 Savage has donated $25,000 to Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that helped him when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year.
The donation will help provide vital resources and support the work the organization does on a daily basis, including helping immigrants being held in detention centers in the Deep South to obtain legal counsel.
Back in February, it was revealed that 21 Savage is a British national who was brought to the United States legally in 2005 as a child but that his visa expired the following year. His lawyers confirmed that he applied for a U visa as a victim of crime and the application is pending.
“21 Savage is making this donation public because everyday Americans need to know that ICE is using civil immigration detention as a weapon against immigrants, many of whom, like 21 Savage, have relief from deportation and are able to fix their immigration status,” Kuck said in a statement.
“Creating oppressively adverse conditions of detention, like those in Irwin County, Georgia, far away from family and legal counsel, causes despair and hopelessness, and forces these men and women to give up on their immigration claims,” Kuck continued. “The SPLC, through its Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) stands at the front line of this fight and supporting this effort lets all Americans know that the Constitution which protects the least of us, protects all of us.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center is based in Alabama and specializes in immigration detention and civil rights. The nonprofit played an integral role in helping 21 Savage after his arrest, including obtaining signatures and “forming a coalition” with other national organizations to fight for his release.
At the time of this report, 21 Savage’s case is pending with the immigration court.