Justin Bieber has urged Donald Trump to free detained migrant children in response to his declaration he’d work to free A$AP Rocky from prison in Sweden.
The US president said that he would try to free the rapper from custody in Stockholm, tweeting: “Just spoke to Kanye West about his friend A$AP Rocky’s incarceration. I will be calling the very talented Prime Minister of Sweden to see what we can do about helping A$AP Rocky.”
He added: “So many people would like to see this quickly resolved.”
While Bieber acknowledged he’d also like to see the rapper freed from imprisonment, he asked why Trump couldn’t use his power to help others in need.
Referencing the ongoing situation on the southern border of the US, Bieber tweeted: ”I appreciate you trying to help him. But while your at it @realDonaldTrump can you also let those kids out of cages?”
Trump’s child detention policies have resulted in the splitting up of families, the rewriting of asylum laws to make it more difficult for migrants to enter the US, and the holding of minors in miserable conditions that the UN has decried as “appalling”.
The detention of A$AP Rocky for an alleged fight has gained widespread attention. More than 600,000 people have signed an online petition for his release, while fellow artists have also expressed their support.
Kim Kardashian called senior White House advisor and Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner about the issue, after which Mr Kushner flagged the situation with Mr Trump, The New York Times reported citing a person familiar with the communications.
“We hope to get him home soon,” the president told a pool reporter on Friday, saying that First Lady Melania Trump had brought the situation to his attention.
Additional reporting by Agencies
