Jamaican Cookery

Jamaican dancehall artist Squash, whose real name is Andrae Maurice Whittaker, has been detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida. According to online records from the agency, Squash was being held at the Krome North Service Processing Center, an ICE detention facility in Miami, as of Monday night (May 22) .

Squash's detention comes after the expiration of Title 42, the Trump-era rules that had restricted the number of people who could be detained in ICE detention facilities like Krome. It also comes after Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a sweeping immigration bill, which he said was crucial to "ensuring the Florida taxpayers are not footing the bill for illegal immigration" .

This is not Squash's first time in a detention facility. In August 2018, he was detained in Jamaica under a State Of Emergency (SOE) sweep in St. James due to increased crime and violence in the parish. He spent five months in custody without charge, before being released in January 2019, one day before the SOE was due to expire. He left Jamaica and performed in the United States for the first time in September 2019 .

Squash is known for his hit songs such as **Ohh Lala La**, **Trending**, **Money Fever** and **Beat Dem Bad**. He is also the leader of the 6ixx crew, which includes other popular dancehall acts such as Chronic Law, Daddy1 and Bobby6ixx.

Squash has not yet commented on his detention or his legal status. His fans have been expressing their support and concern on social media, hoping that he will be released soon and resume his musical career.