AP: Obama aunt from Kenya living in US illegally

[TheGlobalizer]

Arrest her, deport her, move on.  Non-issue.

[TheGlobalizer]

Well, if she lost her case for asylum, why didn't the appropriate authorities deport her?

Dave

She probably had a valid visa.  Visas have time limits.

[TheGlobalizer]

Congrats, AP and London Times.  You just destroyed this woman's life.

No, that was her call.  Immigration law isn't rocket science.

[TheGlobalizer]

Congrats, AP and London Times.  You just destroyed this woman's life.

No, that was her call.  Immigration law isn't rocket science.

I knew someone who tried to extend her visa, but made a mistake in filling in the address in some form, and thus never got the subsequent things-she-was-supposed-to-do until it was too late.  She essentially had no choice but to overstay.  At my parents' house, the mail flies sort of haphazardly through a hole and often ends up on the floor of the garage -- sometimes in a crack between the porch and the heating unit which we didn't discover until months or maybe even years after we moved in.  Eventually we figured out that there had been a credit card bill and I don't remember what other important documents stuck there for a while.  What if that had happened to an immigration document?

sh**t happens.  I think the immigration system should be forgiving.  This is the land of opportunity, after all.  But I'm biased, I suppose.

I don't disagree, but this situation isn't a case of "oops".  Her asylum request was denied = she should go home.

[TheGlobalizer]

Can Obama pardon her and grant her asylum once he takes office?

He can pardon, but not grant asylum.  Immigration law is set by Congress.