Things are actually looking up somewhat for 21 Savage right now: Following his ICE arrest, the rapper was released from custody on bond a few days ago to await his deportation hearing. Of course, 21 Savage’s legal troubles regarding his immigration status are far from over. In fact, he could potentially still get deported thanks to new immigration laws that were reportedly enacted during Donald Trump’s time as president.
Savage currently has a pending application for a U visa, which is “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.” Until recently, those with a pending U visa application were able to remain in the United States while the application is pending. Now it appears that these people could actually be deported, but be allowed to return to the country once their U visa is approved.
The process by which this could happen isn’t entirely clear, though. In June, the Department of Homeland Security said that “there have been no changes to […] policies or procedures regarding the detention of victims or witnesses of crimes,” despite reports that indicate the opposite. In April, recently retired ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan also denied that changes had been made to the U visa protocol, but did not confirm nor deny that somebody with a pending application could be deported, saying, “It’s case by case, right? Is the person a national security threat, a public safety threat? Do they have criminal convictions? How strong is the U visa case? I could not possibly answer that question.”
Yesterday, it was reported that ICE originally attempted to have Savage deported on an “aggravated felony” charge.
