21 Savage, who was detained by ICE earlier this month (February 3) for living in the US on an expired visa, has spoken on how he feels about the possibility of being deported from the country he considers home, in an interview with Good Morning America.
When asked if he’s concerned about being deported in the interview, the rapper – real name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph – responds that he’s “accepting” of whatever might happen. “I feel like I done been through so much in my life, like, I learned to embrace the times when I’m down cause they always build me up and take me to a new level in life,” he says. “So it’s like even if I’m sitting in a cell on 23-hour lockdown, in my mind, I know what’s gonna come after that. So I’m not happy about it. But I’m accepting of it.”
Released on bond after nine days of detention, 21 Savage has also spoken about the targeted nature of his arrest. “I was just driving,” he recalls. “And I just seen guns and blue lights. And, then, I was in the back of a car. And I was gone.” He also says that those arresting him said: “We got Savage.”
There have been some mistakes about when 21 Savage entered the US, as well. Original claims stated that he entered in 2005, but that was the date he returned from a trip for his uncle’s funeral. In actual fact, he first entered the US when he was seven (he was born in 1992). When asked if he knew his visa had expired, he admitted: “I didn't even know what a visa was.”