March 31, 2009
President Obama's Illegal Alien Aunt to Fight Deportation at Upcoming Hearing
FAIRUS.org
On April 1, President Obama's illegal alien aunt will appear before a federal judge to appeal her pending deportation. (The Boston Globe, March 24, 2009). Zeituni Onyango - or "Auntie Zeituni," as President Obama referred to her in his memoir -was ordered to leave the country after her application for political asylum was denied in 2004. Onyango was thrust into the public spotlight when reports released just prior to the November 2008 general election revealed that she was still residing in the United States illegally. (The New York Times, November 2, 2008).
Media reports have highlighted several issues surrounding Onyango's illegal status. When the story first broke last fall, questions arose as to whether Obama had been aware of Onyango's status. The Obama campaign said that the then U.S. Senator had no knowledge of Onyango's status and that Obama believed "that any and all appropriate laws [should] be followed." Additionally, Obama was forced to return more than $250 Onyango had contributed to his campaign because of a federal law that bars illegal aliens from donating to political campaigns. (The Guardian, November 1, 2008).
Onyango's residence in taxpayer funded public housing has created media buzz as well. In January, The Associated Press spotlighted the issue, reporting that "untold thousands of illegal immigrants live in public housing at a time when hundreds of thousands of citizens and legal residents are stuck waiting years for a spot." (USA Today, January 1, 2009).
Still other media outlets have highlighted concerns that Onyango may be receiving preferential treatment because of her connection to President Obama. Last week, The Boston Globe noted that some are "scrutinizing the case for political favoritism." According to a spokeswoman at the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which is part of the Department of Justice charged with overseeing federal immigration courts, Onyango's case was reopened in December even though she had lost several previous attempts to stop her deportation. (The Boston Globe, March 24, 2009).
True immigration reformers view the case as an opportunity for President Obama to solidify and strengthen his stated support for the enforcement of immigration laws. Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies noted that Onyango's case presents "the White House an opportunity...If they follow through on a decision that she should go home, that would actually raise the president's credibility enormously on immigration enforcement." (Id.)
Immigration Judge Leonard Shapiro will hear Onyango's plea for political asylum behind closed doors. Shapiro has been an immigration judge for nearly 30 years (Id.) and denied 68% of the asylum requests he heard between 2002 and 2007. (Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse). In order to be granted asylum, federal law requires that Onyango prove that her life would be threatened because of her "race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion" should she be returned to her home country. (8 U.S.C. § 1231(b)(3)).
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The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest.
FAIR seeks to improve border security, to stop illegal immigration, and to promote immigration levels consistent with the national interest-more traditional rates of about 300,000 a year.
