Since his unprecedented detainment by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 21 Savage has shown his support for other undocumented immigrants. During his detainment, the “Bank Account” rapper was given help by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and now the Atlanta rapper is returning the favor by donating $25,000 to the civil rights organization, Billboard reports.
The check the artist presented to the SPLC will benefit detained immigrants in the south, so that they are guaranteed legal counsel. SPLC said only 17 percent of immigrants in Southeast detainment centers are provided with attorneys during their removal proceedings. Without legal representation, the immigrants are more susceptible to deportation and family separation. In a statement, immigration law attorney Charles H. Kuck said that 21’s contribution being publicized is an effort for the American public to understand just how devastating ICE detainment centers are.
“21 Savage is making this donation public because everyday Americans need to know that ICE is using civil immigration detention as a weapon against immigrants, many of whom, like 21 Savage, have relief from deportation and are able to fix their immigration status,” Kuck said. “Creating oppressively adverse conditions of detention, like those in Irwin County, Georgia, far away from family and legal counsel, causes despair and hopelessness, and forces these men and women to give up on their immigration claims. The SPLC, through its Southeast Immigrant Freedom Initiative (SIFI) stands at the front line of this fight and supporting this effort lets all Americans know that the Constitution which protects the least of us, protects all of us.”