It was February 3, 2019 in Atlanta. While Travis Scott was going Sicko Mode at the Super Bowl 53 halftime show, 21 Savage was arrested. The U.S. Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained the rapper after finding out he overstayed his visa by almost 13 years after emigrating from the U.K. in 2005.

It was a surprise to many of his fans since they believed he was from Atlanta, Georgia. In April 2018, Interview magazine even reported that in an interview with Seth Rogen that Savage´s birthplace was Atlanta, Georgia. In reality, 21 Savage is actually from Plaistow, London, England.

The response to his arrest was mixed. There was backlash from people such as conservative talk show host Tomi Lahren. “When you’re in the country illegally, you get deported. I didn’t write the law and neither did ICE. They enforce it,”said Lahren.

There was also support for 21 Savage, from fans, fellow rappers, and his lawyers. His attorney pointed out that in 2017 Savage applied for a U visa. A U visa is offered to crime victims and their family members willing to assist law enforcement officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.

There was support from rappers such as Kid Ink, Offset, Rich the Kid, DJ Khaled and Cardi B. Fans joined these and other rappers with the #Free21Savage on many social media platforms.

Ultimately, 21 Savage was released from an ICE detention facility. He is in the U.S., yet was arrested on February 15 in response to a warrant for his arrest for theft by deception.