The pop idol was arrested on Wednesday and charged after police said they caught him drag racing in Miami Beach, Florida, allegedly after drinking and smoking marijuana.
The Canadian-born star’s latest run-in with the law could potentially see him deported from the US, according to immigration lawyers. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, violation of any US or foreign drug law – apart from the possession of a small personal amount of marijuana – is grounds for deportation.
Bieber is also under investigation for allegedly hurling eggs at a neighbour’s house in Los Angeles – an incident that led police to search his mansion, where they seized illicit drugs and arrested one of his associates. Although 50 million so-called Beliebers have thrown their support behind the singer, a petition calling for his green card to be revoked had received more than 17,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon.
The petition needs 100,000 signatures by February 22 to elicit a White House response.
