Top things to know
- Jamaican dancehall artist Rygin King (Matthew Smith) was detained by ICE on March 23, 2026.
- The ICE arrest occurred just hours before a scheduled green-card interview with USCIS.
- King faces six criminal charges in New York, including second-degree criminal possession of a loaded firearm, with a court date set for March 27, 2026.
- No official reason for the ICE detention has been publicly released, and his former attorney has confirmed he is no longer representing him.
Jamaican dancehall star Rygin King, whose legal name is Matthew Smith, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 23, 2026. His detention is officially recorded on the agency's detainee-locator website, though authorities have not yet publicly disclosed the specific reasons behind his arrest.
The unexpected immigration custody comes at a critical time, reportedly occurring just hours before the artist was scheduled for a green-card interview with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at his residence. Adding to the gravity of his situation, King is concurrently navigating a separate criminal matter in New York, where he faces six charges, including second-degree criminal possession of a loaded firearm stemming from a 2024 traffic stop in Queens. He has maintained his innocence by pleading not guilty.
The New York legal proceedings have faced multiple adjournments and delays. A suppression hearing was continued on February 27, 2026, with another court appearance scheduled before Justice Mary L. Bejarano in the Queens Supreme Criminal Court. Meanwhile, his previous defense attorney, Marc B. Laykind, confirmed he is no longer representing the entertainer.
Furthermore, King's detention highlights ongoing challenges for Jamaican dancehall artists in U.S. immigration custody, as he is the second prominent act detained by ICE in recent months, following Chronic Law. Compounding these legal hurdles, sources close to the performer note that he is a paraplegic requiring specialized medical attention while in federal custody.