Psych sludge outfit Lord Buffalo have been forced to cancel their European tour after their drummer Yamal Said was detained this past Monday, May 12th by U.S. Customs And Border Protection while attempting to fly out of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
According to the band, Said is a Mexican citizen, who resides in the U.S. as a permanent resident and holds a green card. Per the below statement issued by the band, Said was forcibly removed from the flight. The band shared the following initial statement of the incident:
“We are heartbroken to announce we have to cancel our upcoming European tour. Our drummer, who is a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the United States (green card holder) was forcibly removed from our flight to Europe by Customs and Border Patrol 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. We are devastated to cancel this tour, but we are focusing all of our energy and resources on Yamal’s safety and freedom.
We are hopeful that this is a temporary setback and that it could be safe for us to reschedule this tour in the future. In our absence, our touring partners @orsakoslo will continue to perform the tour. We urge everyone to go see this amazing band and support them over the next couple weeks.”
They’ve since provided the following update:
“UPDATE: Thank you for your outpouring of support it means the world to us. Our drummer has secured the legal representation he needs and we are waiting to hear what comes next. 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.”
The Austin Chronicle report that Said has resided in the city of Austin, TX since the 1980s when his parents moved to the U.S. from Mexico.
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