Obama's Aunt in the USA--illegally.
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Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status
By NEDRA PICKLER – 49 minutes ago
CHICAGO (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he didn't know that one of his relatives was living in the United States illegally and believes the appropriate laws should be followed.
The Associated Press found that Obama's aunt had been instructed to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya. The woman, Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), is living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's late father.
A statement given to the AP by Obama's campaign Saturday says, "Senator Obama has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in the Democratic presidential candidate'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.
Onyango, 56, is Obama's late father's half-sister, the Obama campaign has confirmed. She is not a relative whom Obama, 47, has discussed in campaign appearances and, unlike Obama's father and his maternal grandmother, is not someone who has been part of the public discussion about his personal life.
The Obama campaign declined to comment late Friday night.
Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one a federal law enforcement 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, noncriminal violation of 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 U.S.
According to Federal Election Commission documents filed by the Obama campaign, Onyango has contributed $260 to Obama over a period of time. Under federal election law, only U.S. citizens or green-card holders are legally permitted to give money to campaigns. Onyango, who listed her employer as the Boston Housing Authority, gave in small increments to the Obama campaign. Her latest contribution was $5 on Sept. 19.
The AP could not immediately reach Onyango for comment. When a reporter went to her home Friday night, no one answered the door. A neighbor said she was often not home on the weekend. Onyango did not immediately return telephone and written messages left at her home. It was unclear why her request for asylum was rejected in 2004.
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 that any deportations before Tuesday's election be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors, the U.S. law enforcement official told the AP.
The unusual directive suggests that the administration is sensitive to the political implications of Onyango's case coming to light so close to the election.
The East African nation has been fractured in violence in recent years, including a period of two months of bloodshed after December 2007 that killed 1,500 people.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Saturday that he had no idea how Onyango might have qualified for public housing with a standing deportation order. He said he's not involved in the operations of the agency, even though he appoints the head, because it runs mainly on federal and state dollars.
William McGonagle, deputy director of the Boston Housing Authority, said when contacted: "I know nothing about it and I've got no comment."
Spagat reported from New York. Associated Press writers Rodrique Ngowi and Jay Lindsay in Boston contributed to this report.
The Associated Press: Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status
By NEDRA PICKLER – 49 minutes ago
CHICAGO (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says he didn't know that one of his relatives was living in the United States illegally and believes the appropriate laws should be followed.
The Associated Press found that Obama's aunt had been instructed to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her native Kenya. The woman, Zeituni Onyango (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), is living in public housing in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's late father.
A statement given to the AP by Obama's campaign Saturday says, "Senator Obama has no knowledge of her status but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 (zay-TUHN on-YANG-oh), referred to as "Aunti Zeituni" in the Democratic presidential candidate'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.
Onyango, 56, is Obama's late father's half-sister, the Obama campaign has confirmed. She is not a relative whom Obama, 47, has discussed in campaign appearances and, unlike Obama's father and his maternal grandmother, is not someone who has been part of the public discussion about his personal life.
The Obama campaign declined to comment late Friday night.
Information about the deportation case was disclosed and confirmed by two separate sources, one a federal law enforcement 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, noncriminal violation of 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 U.S.
According to Federal Election Commission documents filed by the Obama campaign, Onyango has contributed $260 to Obama over a period of time. Under federal election law, only U.S. citizens or green-card holders are legally permitted to give money to campaigns. Onyango, who listed her employer as the Boston Housing Authority, gave in small increments to the Obama campaign. Her latest contribution was $5 on Sept. 19.
The AP could not immediately reach Onyango for comment. When a reporter went to her home Friday night, no one answered the door. A neighbor said she was often not home on the weekend. Onyango did not immediately return telephone and written messages left at her home. It was unclear why her request for asylum was rejected in 2004.
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 that any deportations before Tuesday's election be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors, the U.S. law enforcement official told the AP.
The unusual directive suggests that the administration is sensitive to the political implications of Onyango's case coming to light so close to the election.
The East African nation has been fractured in violence in recent years, including a period of two months of bloodshed after December 2007 that killed 1,500 people.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino said Saturday that he had no idea how Onyango might have qualified for public housing with a standing deportation order. He said he's not involved in the operations of the agency, even though he appoints the head, because it runs mainly on federal and state dollars.
William McGonagle, deputy director of the Boston Housing Authority, said when contacted: "I know nothing about it and I've got no comment."
Spagat reported from New York. Associated Press writers Rodrique Ngowi and Jay Lindsay in Boston contributed to this report.
The Associated Press: Obama says he didn't know aunt's illegal status
Aren't you contradicting yourself?
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What does this have to do with Obama exactly?
As Foxrac posted, Obama had no knowledge of his aunt's illegal status.
Anything to dig up dirt on Obama 72 hours before the election. :roll:
As Foxrac posted, Obama had no knowledge of his aunt's illegal status.
Anything to dig up dirt on Obama 72 hours before the election. :roll:
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And how do you know that?
I wonder if you'd feel the same way if this were McCain or Palin we were talking about?
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Wow! Now I've seen it all! Even Fox News is reporting that Obama had no knowledge of his aun'ts illegal status.
Makes me doubt the veracity of the original news story.
Obama Says He Didn't Know Aunt's Illegal Status - FOXNews.com Elections
Makes me doubt the veracity of the original news story.
Obama Says He Didn't Know Aunt's Illegal Status - FOXNews.com Elections
Babyblue
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Replace the bold with McCain, and those posts would be EXACTLY what you'd see on a thread that pointed out a boo-boo remotely related to McCain...... (different posters of course...)
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Not necessarily. This story *couldn't* be about McCain since he is Caucasian and not of mixed race like Obama.
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Okay okay... but you get the idea.
Unless McCain has some secret great grandfather who is a Chinese guy.... gasp!
Oh wait... it's not fashionable to be scared of the Chinese anymore, right? Gosh I'm having a hard time remembering who I'm supposed to be scared of now.
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LOL!
As for people we should be afraid of, how about Osama Bin Laden, Sarah Palin or our own President George W. Bush? :Ohno:
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That's nothing new. Welcome to the world of politics!
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I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of cat McCain pulls out of the hat against Obama over the next 72 hours.
The poor guy is desperate and everyone knows it.
The poor guy is desperate and everyone knows it.
Babyblue
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And it doesn't exclude Obama.
So now you see why I said what I did I in my first post of this thread. He will deny anything being this close to election day.
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But that's where you're wrong. Obama has nothing to deny because all of McCain's attacks against him contain absolutely no substance. In other words, they are filled with nothing but hot air.
Also, if you listen to Obama's political speeches, you'll find that they describe in detail what he will do once he's in office. McCain's speeches, on the other hand, contain nothing but political attacks against Obama. Big difference in content there.
In addition, it looks as if Arnold Schwartzenegger has gotten into the act insulting Obama because of his physique.
The McCain campaign represents nothing more than an endless string of baseless, deperate attempts to make Obama look bad. And that's one of the reasons why Obama is going to win the election.
Perhaps if McCain had focused more effort on *explaining* what he intends to do while in office instead of attacking Obama, perhaps he would be ahead in the polls.
(Not that I'm not complaining.
)
jillio
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Evidently, a lot of people didn't know about her status. Including the Boston Housing Authority, whose business it is to determine such things prior to renting an apartment to someone. I don't find it unbelievable that Obama wouldn't know.
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