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Obama's Aunt Can Finally Stay in the US

By Ruth Manuel-Logan on May 18th 2010 10:12AM

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Obama's Aunt


Yesterday, a federal immigration judge finally granted Zeituni Onyango, President Barack Obama's Kenyan-born aunt, asylum. The court agreed with the woman's team of legal experts that her life could be in danger if forced to return to her homeland, because she is related to the president. The ruling clears a path for Onyango to apply for permanent residency in a year and U.S. citizenship after five years.


Onyango is the half-sister of Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. The 57-year-old woman first hit U.S. shores in 2000. She initially applied for asylum in 2004 but was rejected and soon faced deportation. Instead of leaving the country, though, Onyango, who could barely walk due to an autoimmune disorder, decided she would just stay put.

Onyango found a public housing project in South Boston and tried to blend in, which makes her no different than the other 500,000 people living illegally in the United States.

In 2008, Onyango's immigration status was blown wide open, coincidentally, right before her nephew was elected. Obama, then claimed, he was totally unaware of his aunt's illegal immigration status. Although Obama spoke of his "Auntie Zeituni" fondly, he did not mince words when he made public at the time that he would not intervene in her case and that "any and all appropriate laws" would be followed.

In case anyone is wondering whether Obama decided to intervene, Obama spokesman Nick Shapiro told the Associated Press on Monday that the White House had no involvement in the case at any point in the process.

Meanwhile, Onyango is reportedly not responding to hungry media hounds. Two police cars were also stationed outside her apartment building to keep reporters away.



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