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President Barack Obama's aunt, a Kenya native who has been living here illegally since 2004, is set to make a second bid for political asylum tomorrow. Zeituni Onyango, 57, insists that she never told the President that she was in this country illegally, but will argue that her relationship to the President makes her a political target if she was to be forced to return to Kenya.
"She wants to stay in this country so bad," said Mike Rogers, a spokesman for her attorney.
Onyango moved to the United States in 2000 and first applied for asylum in 2002. Her request was rejected, and she was ordered deported in 2004, but she did not leave the country and continued to live in public housing in Boston. Source: Obama aunt girds for new bid to avoid deportation, Associated Press
Onyango's status was revealed just days before the November 2008 presidential election. A judge later suspended her deportation order and granted Onyango a new asylum hearing.
Onyango's immigration attorney, Margaret Wong of Cleveland, said last year that her client first applied for asylum "due to violence in Kenya," but she did not reveal what grounds she has cited in her renewed bid for asylum. The East African nation is fractured by cycles of electoral violence every five years.
Onyango says that she no longer has any contact with her nephew or his family.
Onyango did not return telephone calls seeking comment this week. But in an interview in November, she said she did not tell Obama she was in the country illegally and never asked him to intervene. She also said she has exiled herself from Obama and his family because she didn't want to become political fodder for his foes.
"Before, we were family. But right now, there is a lot of politics, and me, I am not interested in any politics at all," Onyango told The Associated Press at the time. Source: Associated Press
Whether she's interested or not, any decision in Onyango's case will generate political coverage, commentary and speculation about the role President Obama played in his aunt's quest for asylum.
Comments: (302)
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By: Black_Dove on 2/04/2010 2:33PM
Aren't we a country of immigrants? Oh, but the darker the skin, the more fear comes into play. Immigrants coming through our Northern borders never catch any flack, just "Welcome to America"! Hypocrites.
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By: Sue on 2/04/2010 2:59PM
Its morons like you that make me puke,, read the article. She is here illegaly. She should go back, anyone else wouldn't get away with it..
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By: ken on 2/04/2010 3:17PM
That is just stupid! everytime a black person(no matter where they are from) its considered racism. Yall are the one keeping the rift alive between blacks and whites or any other color or ethnic background. Grow up, and realize life is what you make of it, not racism. I see to many successful black people in America for yall to keep crying racism. She was told by a court to leave the country. She did not, she is here illegally. If she goes throught the process legally and is awarded citizenship, great. That is the way all immigrants are expected to be here. Next time you cry about racial equality, look in the mirror and see who the biggot really is.
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By: Black_Dove on 2/04/2010 3:17PM
Sue and James, go back to Europe.
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By: ken on 2/04/2010 3:26PM
I meant to have in there that everytime they dont get their way ist racism.
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By: Black_Dove on 2/04/2010 3:33PM
Ken, the hatred is coming from anti-African sentiments here. Any people of color referring to a racist system in Amerikkka which was begun by lazy people who need free, cheap labor to this day, is written from experience, not racism.
Speaking of which, those baptist in jail in Haiti wanted to only bring children here, no adults? Perverts.
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By: Leila on 2/04/2010 4:00PM
Black_Dove if you want to open up that can of worms go ahead. Do you even know how the slave trade began? The slave trade originated in Africa by African peoples that practiced making slaves out of conquered peoples. The Portuguese learned about slavery from the Africans themselves. The majority of slaves taken from Africa were sold to the Portuguese by Africans so please wipe out that idea of yours that the evil Whitey went to African and stole the poor Africans from their beds. The slave trade in the United States was one of the shortest lived in HISTORY. Abraham Lincoln was considered an extremist so the Democratic party was formed to combat his policies such as emancipation. The Democratic party members formed the KKK and then enacted laws to prevent blacks from voting in the primaries in the early 20th century. The Confederacy had plans to remove slavery as well! They were smart and were going to do it at a slower pace because you can't just remove an entire work force (regardless of ethics) with nothing to replace it without dire consequences. Lincoln did it anyway and southern states were left economically destitute and some still are today. Do I condone slavery? No. Do I condone segregation? No. Do I think the white community made a mistake in buying into the slave trade? Yes but what the black community seems to forget is that it was done away with. Ended. Whites corrected that mistake rather quickly compared to the rest of the world. Slavery still exists but under a nice name "Indentured Servents" (ie China, India, and some African countries) So please enlighten me on why the black community continues to promote racism by holding a past mistake over the white community's head? It's not because "Whitey is racist". It's because the government also promotes racism because it keeps other white men from being as rich and successful as the politicians in Washington. The Democratic party enables poor blacks to stay poor with a smile on their face and misguided propaganda of "Conservatives are all bigots!" It's a power play, plain and simple. By Democratic party I am more referring to the Progressive Movement which is a group of extremists now making up the majority of the Democrats. The Progressive Movement tries to pass of the true Democrats as a Republican faction by dubbing them 'blue dogs'. That's another post all together.
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By: John Smith on 2/04/2010 5:00PM
Hell, let her stay in the U.S. Give her a job in the administration. Illegal immigrant CZAR would be nice. LOL
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By: Foday on 2/04/2010 5:04PM
Lesla, you are SO MISINFORMED when it comes to slavery. I won't waste my time giving detail here I will just tell you that the information you posted is not even half right. Go figure
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By: lea on 2/04/2010 5:08PM
Ignorant comment,
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