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JAY-Z Hires Attorney to Help 21 Savage, Calls ICE Arrest “an Absolute Travesty”

“21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately”

Jay-Z (Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images), 21 Savage (Prince Williams/WireImage)

JAY-Z has hired attorney Alex Spiro to assist 21 Savage, who was arrested in Atlanta on Sunday and remains in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Spiro confirmed toVariety that he was hired by JAY-Z to assist 21.

Jay released a statement today in support of 21. “The arrest and detention of 21 Savage is an absolute travesty, his U visa petition has been pending for 4 years,” Jay wrote. “In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately, #Free21Savage.”

“We are not going to stop until he is released, bonded out or in front of a judge,” Spiro told Variety. “What we have here is someone who overstayed their Visa with an application pending for 4 years—not a convicted criminal that needs to be detained and removed but, by all accounts a wonderful person, father, and entertainer who has a marijuana offense which was vacated and sealed.”

21 Savage’s representatives released a statementyesterday clarifying the rapper’s immigration status. After confirming that he was born in the United Kingdom, they added that he entered the United States at 7, left the country and returned again in 2005, and had a visa expire in 2006. “We are unaware of why ICE apparently targeted Mr. Abraham-Joseph, but we will do everything possible to legally seek his release and pursue his available relief in immigration court,” the statement reads.

JAY-Z and Meek Mill recently announced the launch of a new criminal justice reform organization called REFORM alliance.