AP: Obama aunt from Kenya living in US illegally

[phk]

  By EILEEN SULLIVAN and ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press Writers Eileen Sullivan And Elliot Spagat, Associated Press Writers   – 41 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Barack Obama's aunt, a Kenyan woman who has been quietly living in public housing in Boston, is in the United States illegally after an immigration judge rejected her request for asylum four years ago, The Associated Press has learned.

Zeituni Onyango, 56, referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in Obama's memoir, was instructed to leave the United States by a U.S. immigration judge who denied her asylum request, a person familiar with the matter told the AP late Friday. This person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to discuss Onyango's case.

Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one of them a federal law enforcment official. The information they made available is known to officials in the federal government, but the AP could not establish whether anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the McCain campaign had been involved in its release.

Onyango's refusal to leave the country would represent an administrative, non-criminal violation of U.S. immigration law, meaning such cases are handled outside the criminal court system. Estimates vary, but many experts believe there are more than 10 million such immigrants in the United States.

The AP could not reach Onyango immediately for comment. No one answered the telephone number listed in her name late Friday. It was unclear why her request for asylum was rejected in 2004.

Onyango is not a relative whom Obama has discussed in campaign appearances and, unlike Obama's father and grandmother, is not someone who has been part of the public discussion about his personal life.

A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Kelly Nantel, said the government does not comment on an individual's citizenship status or immigration case.

Onyango's case — coming to light just days before the presidential election — led to an unusual nationwide directive within Immigrations and Customs Enforcement requiring any deportations prior to Tuesday's election to be approved at least at the level of ICE regional directors, the U.S. law enforcement official told the AP.

The unusual directive suggests that the Bush administration is sensitive to the political implications of Onyango's case coming to light so close to the election.

One of the sources acknowledged he was not a supporter of Obama or John McCain and said he has no plans to vote on Tuesday. He said that was not a motive for releasing the information.

Kenya is in eastern Africa between Somalia and Tanzania. The country has been fractured in violence in recent years, including a period of two months of bloodshed after December 2007 that killed 1,500 people.

The disclosure about Onyango came just one day after Obama's presidential campaign confirmed to the Times of London that Onyango, who has lived quietly in public housing in South Boston for five years, was Obama's half aunt on his father's side.

It was not immediately clear how Onyango might have qualified for public housing with a standing deportation order.

___

AP writer Elliott Spagat reported from New York.

[Ronnie]

Ooooo, spicy.

[cinyc]

And she contributed $260 to Barack Obama's campaign, too.  That's illegal.

[Lunar]

old news:
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=86902.0

[cinyc]

old news:
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=86902.0

Not old news.  The Times of London didn't know whether Obama's aunt was in the country legally.  The AP says she isn't.

[Verily]

It was not immediately clear how Onyango might have qualified for public housing with a standing deportation order.

Yes it is. Boston is a sanctuary city, like most major cities.

[HardRCafé]

And she contributed $260 to Barack Obama's campaign, too.  That's illegal.

That's rude to point out.

[Mr.Jones]

The desperate republicans trying to look for a straw befire they sink. Alas a straw can't save you when you are sinking.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Irrelevant.

[Lunar]

bitter?

[MR maverick]

ya'll know what you are?  a bunch o bitches, that's what you are.  you're like "omg" barack obama, you're the best, and everything that happens bad to him you got to say it's something hat' "old news" or some hit like that.  come on. you people got to be more intellectually honest than that.  his aunt contributd to to the obama campaign, and she' illegal.  that's not good and that's not american.  someone should deport that dumb bitch to Mexico where she belongs.

Talk like this is why McCain is losing states like NM, NV, and even his home state of AZ.

The republicans need to kick that far right wingers out of their party or their going to never win another election.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

ya'll know what you are?  a bunch o bitches, that's what you are.  you're like "omg" barack obama, you're the best, and everything that happens bad to him you got to say it's something hat' "old news" or some hit like that.  come on. you people got to be more intellectually honest than that.  his aunt contributd to to the obama campaign, and she' illegal.  that's not good and that's not american.  someone should deport that dumb bitch to Mexico where she belongs.

Talk like this is why McCain is losing states like NM, NV, and even his home state of AZ.

The republicans need to kick that far right wingers out of their party or their going to never win another election.

They need to keep around their extremists so that they can join the Federalists and the Whigs in the dustbin of history.

[Lunar]

ya'll know what you are? 

On second thought, less tipsy than you?

[bgwah]

Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that half the Republican forumers throw a huge hissy fit any time a thread like this is started about Palin yet still love posting this sh*t about Obama?

lol

[Lunar]

Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that half the Republican forumers throw a huge hissy fit any time a thread like this is started about Palin yet still love posting this sh*t about Obama?

lol

The inverse is true for Democrats

[bgwah]

Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that half the Republican forumers throw a huge hissy fit any time a thread like this is started about Palin yet still love posting this sh*t about Obama?

lol

The inverse is true for Democrats

Get off of Lunar's account, Alcon!

[Lunar]

Am I the only one who thinks it's funny that half the Republican forumers throw a huge hissy fit any time a thread like this is started about Palin yet still love posting this sh*t about Obama?

lol

The inverse is true for Democrats

Get off of Lunar's account, Alcon!

oops, shit, wrong account.  Lunar's a socialist.

-Alcon

[wildfood]

As I recall, a week or so before the 2000 election it came to light that Bush had a drunk driving conviction on his record and it didn't cost him the election.

I doubt that this will do any serious harm.

[Lunar]

As I recall, a week or so before the 2000 election it came to light that Bush had a drunk driving conviction on his record and it didn't cost him the election.

I doubt that this will do any serious harm.

Especially because this is 5% of that story in magnitude.

Obama showed no error in judgment here.

It's a bit sketchy to have an illegal immigrant aunty, but this story mostly just reminds you that Obama is black more than anything else.  It's not scandalous by any merit.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

[DownWithTheLeft]

What I'm concerned about is the fact that Obama took donations from an illegal immigrant.  That is an error in judgement

[daboese]

Yeah, he definitely knows about every $ which goes into his campaign.
Who gave it to him, what his records are- you know, he knows everyone personally.

Get a life.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Yeah, he definitely knows about every $ which goes into his campaign.
Who gave it to him, what his records are- you know, he knows everyone personally.

Get a life.

Agreed almost

[pepper11]

I think this is the first time I have every agreed with Mr. Jone.  But this is a non story and is not going to move any votes.  I am actually surprised it is on the front page of MSNBC and CNN.

[TheGlobalizer]

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