Rock Band Lord Buffalo Cancels European Tour After Drummer Is Detained Due To Arrest Warrant (Update)

Psych-americana rock band Lord Buffalo took to social media to announce the cancellation of their European tour because drummer Yamal Said, a green card holder, was “forcibly removed” from their flight, likely by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on May 12, but the incident may not have been due to his immigration status as previously reported.

In a social media post published Tuesday morning, the band stated Said, a Mexican citizen and lawful permanent resident of the U.S., had not been released and that the other three band members had not been able to reach Said.

KUT News, a local public radio station owned and operated by the University of Texas at Austin, reported on Tuesday afternoon that Said’s removal from an international flight was “because of an active arrest warrant,” according to a Customs and Border spokesperson, and the musician was turned over to local law enforcement. The local news station reached out to the band but received no comment.

The outlet also reported that Said allegedly violated a restraining order at least twice in the past year, a felony in the state of Texas, and the Llano County Sheriff’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest.

Lord Buffalo was scheduled to perform European shows with Norwegian band Orsak:Oslo. The Austin quartet’s latest album, Holus Bolus, was released last summer via Blues Funeral Recordings.

“We are currently working with an immigration lawyer to find out more information and to attempt to secure his release,” the band wrote this morning. “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.

See How Politics Are Negatively Impacting Live: NEA Cuts, Visa Issues, Israeli-Palestinian Divide Lead To Show Cancellations

The live music industry has experienced its fair share of visa issues, censorship and other incidents involving government agencies in the past, but such occurrences have been more pronounced since January.

With a Trump administration that built its campaign on mass deportations and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, some in the live industry have expressed concern over politics impacting the business. Some artists have had to cancel dates due to immigration crackdowns, executive orders affecting the trans community or their stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

British punk rockers U.K. Subs posted that three members traveling together were denied entry in March. They were told it was because they didn’t have the correct visa, but bassist Alvin Gibbs suspected it could have been because of critical statements he’s made about the current U.S. administration.

See Rocking In The Free World? The U.S. Artist Visa Nightmare

Canadian musician Bells Larsen, who is transgender, announced in April that he had to cancel his U.S. tour because of an executive order from President Donald Trump that required documents like passports and visas to reflect the person’s biological sex. Larsen has his passport marked as male.

“I received an email on [April 8] from the American Federation of Musicians stating that I am no longer able to apply for a visa because U.S. immigration now only recognizes identification that corresponds to one’s assigned sex at birth,” Larsen wrote on social media in April. “To put it super plainly, because I’m trans (and have an M on my passport), I can’t tour in the States.

“I hesitate to include a ‘right now’ or an ‘anymore’ at the end of my previous sentence because—in this sociopolitical climate— I truly don’t know which phrasing holds more truth.”

Note: The story has been updated to include information from KUT News’ report about the incident.