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Posted in music on May 11, 2010

Free Kutmah! (LA DJ is process of being deported)

Kutmah aka Justin McNulty
Kutmah

Details on the situation are vague, but sources told L.A. Weekly that McNulty, who was born in the U.K. and moved to Los Angeles at the age of twelve, was picked up by authorities at his home on the morning of May 5. By that evening, he had been transferred to a facility in New Mexico. The DJ does have an attorney and, given the response of his friends, it appears that all efforts are being made to keep McNulty in the United States. Freekutmah.com debuted late last week to collect donations for McNulty's legal fees. It was followed by a PetitionSpot page that, by Sunday evening, had collected over 2700 virtual signatures in support of the DJ.
Kutmah clearly has a lot of friends in L.A. and elsewhere trying to keep him in the country. There's a note from Dublab (where you can hear mixes from Kutmah) posted below, and a #FREEKOOTZ Twitter campaign going on too.

Kutmah was supposed to play with Flying Lotus as part of his Cosmogramma release shows in L.A. this week.

More info on the situation and videos of Kutmah are posted below...

Dublab on Kutmah's deportation

Please support Justin "Kutmah" McNulty in his deportation defense. He is facing immediate deportation unless we can reopen his case and show the authorities how vital it is for Justin to stay in our lives. This vibrant artist, dj and producer is a beloved member of the Los Angeles creative community. Help Kutmah remain in the United States!Kutmah was born in the UK to an Egyptian mother and Scottish father. He moved to the US with his mother when he was 12 years old. They immediately applied for residency to keep them from being sent to Egypt. As a British citizen the court ruled that he would be able to live in the UK which in their eyes wasn't such a bad place. They denied their application. Kutmah and his Mom returned to court to plead their case 14 years ago when Kutmah was 20. They were again denied a green card and were urged to sign a document stating they would voluntary leave the US.On Wednesday morning, May 5th armed Immigration agents entered Kutmah's house and detained him. He was brought to a facility in downtown LA where he was interrogated. On Thursday he was moved to an INS detention facility in New Mexico and can be expelled from the country at any moment. We need to show how important Kutmah is to the LA and US community. [Free Kutmah
D.J. KUTMAH Spinning at Dublab event

DJ KUTMAH @ THE FUNK RUMBLE 09

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Tags: deported, Dublab, Flying Lotus, Kutmah, LA
posted at 12:54 PM on May 11, 2010 in music | Comments (21)

Comments (21)

Snap...this is like Back to England PArt IV

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 1:07 PM

I don't remotely understand this.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 1:34 PM

Meanwhile, a truckload of Albanians is entering the US through the Saskatchewan border. Good job INS.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 1:36 PM

Can't he get deported then get a work visa back to the USA? Or at least legally try an obtain citzenhip? Why not do these two options???

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 1:48 PM


This country is fucked.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 1:55 PM

who cares there are plenty of dj's in the us of a already so what if this guy can't stay here...just get bjork and dave longstreth to cover his gigs.

Posted by anonymous | May 11, 2010 1:56 PM

Another illegal immigrant taking the jobs from hard-working American DJs.


//tongue-planted-in-my-fucking-cheek\\

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 2:07 PM

Also - most confusing, information-lacking article-referencing blog post ever. My head hurts.

Posted by 2:07 guy | May 11, 2010 2:08 PM

"Details on the situation are vague..." but send cash anyway.

I wish I had enough cash lying around that I could afford to contribute to an illegal immigrant DJ's legal fees.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 2:11 PM

1:48 - If he gets deported, and it sounds like a near certainty, he is barred from coming back for ten years. There are waivers available for that bar, but immigration won't give one to somebody just because they make good music, you need to show hardship to a relative here with status, so no work visa.

To get citizenship, you gotta have a green card for 3-5 years, and the summary said they denied his application. He took voluntarty departure and didn't leave, which means he has no options for 10 years and he will be returning to England soon.

Our laws are very unforgiving.

Posted by egrol | May 11, 2010 2:13 PM

the INS should just head to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. I'd bet that a bunch of those Albanians and Russians can't provide papers

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 2:16 PM

Man, someone should move to Arizona ^^

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 2:18 PM

he looks like he could become an islamic terrorist

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 2:43 PM

2:13 thanks I was unaware of the pecific rules and the situation.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 3:02 PM

specific rules I mean doh!

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 3:08 PM

Anon 2:16

The Russians in Brighton Beach will go all Eastern Promises and shit.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 3:32 PM

yeah, like this country has nothing better to do than deport this guy... shameless

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 3:32 PM

All DJs should be deported back to 1999. Anyone hear of an iPod?

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 3:52 PM

"I don't remotely understand this."

Just more of the casual racism that underlies the immigration debate. It's not just people from south of the border who are here illegally. It's Canadians, too.

Posted by Crosseyed Sniper | May 11, 2010 5:29 PM

Get this guy the fuck out of here. I'm a legal immigrant. Since he's a fucking DJ with a few friends he should stay. Petition? Lawyer? Get the fuck out of my face with that shit. A rule is a rule. A law is a law. Just because you can somehow summon up the incredibly precise skill it takes to play a record you should get a free pass?

Go fuck yourself. Go back to the UK and go through the same shit that every other naturalized citizen had to.*

*In 10 years, that is.

Posted by Anonymous | May 11, 2010 8:27 PM

Right or wrong - A law is a law. Law abiding citizens must obey the laws of the country they live in or face consequences.

By engaging in an illegal act your actions are not nullified by the virtues of your profession.

I predict that DUBLAB will branch out to UK and that Kutmah will be their point man in London.

The US is on a witch hunt for illegal immigrants. It's simply not a good time to be undocumented in this country.

Posted by Anonymous | June 20, 2010 7:58 PM

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