A drummer and a green card holder performing with a Texas-based band was taken off a flight by federal immigration officials on Monday just before the band was about to embark on a European tour.
Yamal Said, a member of Lord Buffalo, a heavy Americana band, was held at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers who claimed they possessed a warrant for his arrest due to alleged violations of a restraining order on two occasions, as stated by the Department of Homeland Security via X.
Violating a protective order two or more times can lead to it becoming a felony in Texas, based on the circumstances.
“Yamal Said is a Mexican national and lawful U.S. permanent resident,” the agency wrote on X sharing a news headline about the incident.
Paul Carlson, the school’s assistant principal, described Said as “a highly respected and long-standing member of our school community,” according to a report by the Austin Chronicle.
Said’s detention forced the band to announce on social media that it had canceled its tour.
“We appreciate the tremendous outpouring of support from y’all today. We still know very little about the situation, but we have been asked by our drummer’s family and his legal team to respect their privacy while this situation evolves,” the band wrote.
Said and his band were set to depart Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a European tour. Passengers seen at the airport in 2023. (Shelby Tauber/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The band had been preparing for an eight-date European tour in support of their latest album, “Holus Bolus,” with Norwegian band Orsak:Oslo, the Austin Chronicle reported.
“No one should be pulled off a plane and jailed for simply trying to travel and make art with their band,” Orsak:Oslo wrote on social media Wednesday. “We won’t pretend to understand the full complexity of the situation, but this should not happen anywhere.”
