New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been shaking the political table since being elected in November 2018. On Thursday (Feb. 7), AOC demanded that the United States cut funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and even mentioned the detainment of 21 Savage, who has been in ICE custody since being detained last Sunday (Feb. 2).
Following her speech, the hosts of “Fox & Friends” slammed Ocasio-Cortez for her immigration stance, while attempting to blame her for a recent deadly subway shooting in New York City last Sunday (Feb. 2). According to ICE, the gunman in that shooting is allegedly a known member of MS-13 and is in America illegally.
After the clip went viral, AOC took to Twitter to double down on her immigration stance. “Unlike these people, I actually care about my community,” she said. “This happened across [from] my old campaign office. We’ve been monitoring this heartbreaking situation and have been working with the community to heal. Meanwhile, ICE is detaining children, political activists & 21 Savage.”
According to reports, 21 is currently being held in “one of the worst immigration detention centers in the US,” located three hours outside of Atlanta. “It’s a horrendous place,” human rights attorney Azadeh Shahshahani said to Rolling Stone. Neither ICE or 21’s lawyers have confirmed his location due to “agency privacy rules.”
As of Thursday (Feb. 7), ICE has not granted the rapper bond. His attorneys claim that “Mr. Abraham-Joseph is not subject to mandatory detention under federal law and is eligible for bond,” and should be allowed to bond out as the investigation surrounding his Visa status continues. It was announced earlier this week that JAY-Z’s legal team is assisting in making sure 21 Savage is free. “The arrest and detention of 21 Savage is an absolute travesty, his U visa petition has been pending for 4 years,” Hov said in a statement. “In addition to being a successful recording artist, 21 deserves to be reunited with his children immediately. #Free21Savage.”
Following 21’s arrest, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted lyrics from 21’s “A Lot” performance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” which tackled America’s immigration policies. “The gas was off, so we had to boil up the water/ Been through some things so I can’t imagine my kids stuck at the border/ Flint still need water/ People was innocent, couldn’t get lawyers.” His lawyers have cited these lyrics as one of the reasons for his detainment. “Many have speculated as to possible ulterior motives for his arrest and detention, including that he released music five days prior to his arrest by ICE, which included new lyrics condemning the behavior of immigration officials for their detention of children at the border.”