A U.S. rock group has had to call off its European tour following the detention of its drummer, Yamal Said, by US Customs and Border Protection officials in Texas.
The group detailed in an online statement that Said was taken off a flight at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by ICE officials, even though he held valid residency status in the U.S.
On their way to the summer tour prior to the incident, the group hasn’t communicated with Said for two days now.
The drummer is a Mexican citizen who holds legal permanent residency status in the United States along with a green card.
Said has been living as a resident of Austin , Texas dating back to the 1980s, as per the Austin Chronicle .
'We are deeply saddened to inform you that we must cancel our forthcoming European tour,' the band stated. wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
'Our drummer, Yamal Said, who holds Mexican citizenship and is a lawful permanent resident of the United States,' United States (a green card holder) was forcefully ejected from our flight to Europe by Customs and Border Protection at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Monday, May 12.
‘He has not been released, and we have been unable to contact him. We are currently working with an immigration lawyer to find out more information and to attempt to secure his release.’
An update to the statement on Wednesday afternoon told fans that the drummer had ‘secured the legal representation he needs.’
‘We are waiting to hear what comes next,’ they said. ‘We want to reiterate that we truly don’t know what’s going on. We have more questions than answers, but we will keep you posted as much as we can. At this time the family asks for privacy as they navigate the situation.’
A stalwart of the Austin music scene, Said formerly played with the band the Black and works as a music instructor for the Texas School for the Blind, according to the Austin Chronicle.
The band was scheduled to go on an eight-date European tour to play and promote their latest album Holus Bolus. The tour, alongside the Swedish band Orsak:Oslo, was scheduled to begin on 15 May in the Netherlands.
In a social media statement, Orsak:Oslo, who will continue with the tour, wrote : ‘No one should be pulled off a plane and jailed for simply trying to travel and make art with their band. We won’t pretend to understand the full complexity of the situation, but this should not happen anywhere.’
Said's detainment is part of an broader immigration enforcement initiative under the Trump administration.
On Monday, Tom Homan, who serves as the border czar under Trump, stated that approximately 139,000 undocumented immigrants have been deported since Trump regained the presidency at the White House.
On April 28, Trump issued an executive order aimed at sanctuary cities that had functioned as refuges for unauthorized immigrants and declined to assist federal efforts to apprehend these individuals.
The directive instructs the attorney general and the homeland security secretary to come up with a list of cities and states that haven't followed federal immigration laws.
The President likewise put his signature on executive orders intended to broaden ICE’s capacity to apprehend and hold illegal immigrants within the United States.
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