Politics makes for strange bedfellows. Barack Obama's paternal Aunt Zeituni Onyango put George Bush, John McCain, Sarah Palin and Barack Obama in a pickle. She was denied asylum 4 years ago, but she's still here in the U.S. ...and the best decision was to not mention it. In fact, George Bush did an inadvertant good deed in declaring no one could be deported until after November 4th unless A Regional Director of Immigration signed off on the deportation order.
Too much was at stake. Too many pitfalls. Too much potential for mischief. It was better left to the water bearers like Michelle Malkin to exploit. I did a dkos search on Aunt Zeituni that turned up nothing. Then, later I saw a few diaries. Most writers here rightly reasoned it was better to not mention Aunt Zeituni Onyango. It's why I waited to publish this diary. I needed to know Ms. Onyango is receiving some assistance first.
The only one who pays the price of the media storm about this 56-year old woman refugee from Kenya, an exemplary member of her community, who is living here despite being denied asylum, is Aunt Zeituni Onyango. The situation is more complicated now that Barack Obama is President-Elect Obama.
The machiavellian predicament Barack Obama's aunt is living illustrates just how irrelavent our immigration policies have become. The fact our immigration laws could not discern the difference between a potential terrorist and an U.S. Politician's Aunt is apropos for yet another dysfunctional national agency. U.S. Immigration policy needs to focus on relavant national securty issues, but the main problem with that approach is we can't agree on what's relavant.
Maybe there was insufficient reason to grant asylum to Zeituni Onyango 4 years ago, but starting 20 months ago, her case got stronger with every passing day. Today, the only way to guarantee her safety in Kenya is to send her home with a personal contingent of body guards. Unfortunately, asylum claims are not supposed to be revisited, once they are decided - another irrelavance to this case. Her asylum decree is being appealed anyway as there is ample grounds to challenge the original denial. There is a new government in Kenya and her nephew could make her a target for kidnapping are major changes in Ms. Onyango's case. Both are good reasons to reopen her asylum case, but our current immigration laws could hamstring us.
Kenya has Somalia, Ethiopia, The Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania as her neighbors. Kenya has about 300 km of ocean front property. As Beautiful as the Kenyan countryside is, considering her neighbors, you might be able to see the foreseeable problems with sending a 56 year old woman back to live in the country of her birth.
The U.S. State Department has issued a current Travel Warning for travel to Kenya. Would Barack Obama's aunt be safe if she was deported to Kenya? Maybe, if her nephew wasn't a household name.
This information is current as of, Sun Nov 09 2008 09:25:45 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time).
KENYA
August 22, 2008
Current Situation
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The power-sharing agreement signed on February 28 has been widely accepted throughout Kenya; parliament ratified it on March 18. Implementation of the agreement is proceeding and members of the coalition government continue to adhere to the terms of the accord. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi will continue to monitor the political climate and update travel information for American citizens as necessary.
Crime and Terrorist Acts
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Kenya has a high rate of violent crime and remains susceptible to attacks from terrorists in the region. The U.S. Government continues to receive indications of potential terrorist threats aimed at American, western, and Kenyan interests. Terrorist acts could include suicide operations, bombings, kidnappings, attacks on civil aviation, and attacks on maritime vessels in or near Kenyan ports. Many of those responsible for the attacks on the U.S. Embassy in 1998 and on a hotel in Mombasa in 2002 remain at large and continue to operate in the region.
Violent and sometimes fatal criminal attacks, including armed carjackings and home invasions/burglaries, can occur at any time and in any location, particularly in Nairobi. As recently as June 2008, U.S. Embassy personnel were victims of carjackings. In the short-term, the continued displacement of thousands of people by the recent civil unrest combined with endemic poverty and the availability of weapons could result in an increase in crime, both petty and violent. Kenyan authorities have limited capacity to deter or investigate such acts or prosecute perpetrators.
American citizens in Kenya should be extremely vigilant, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as clubs, hotels, resorts, upscale shopping centers, restaurants, and places of worship. Americans should also remain alert in residential areas, schools, and at outdoor recreational events, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds.
Only the most callous among us would say that her safety is no better here in the U.S. after all, violent crime can happen here at any time and at any location. The difference being we do have the resources "to deter, investigate and prosecute perpetrators". Plus, she's living within a community that is more likely to celebrate her presense than harrass her.
The U.S. tort system is based upon reasonable forseeability. It is reasonable to fear for Barack Obama's aunt's safety if she's deported back to Kenya. Using Zeituni Onyango's illegal immigration staus in the campaign was too risky for the Republicans. It was hard to figure. If they come out against a 56 year old black woman on immigration "concerns", would it benefit Obama or McCain? Hmmmm...
The likes of Lou Dobbs would applaud her deportation, but there are quite a few people in Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California and Arizona who disagree. There is a very real possibility that real terrorists would kidnap her in Kenya for exploitation of an agenda contrary to U.S. interests. The best thing for George Bush's Administration to do is keep losing Ms. Onyango's deportation order into a sea of unsorted paperwork, because if she is deported and harm comes to her; all fingers will point to Bush's Republican Administration for creating the problem.
Zeituni Onyango represents the ultimate political football. The Republicans can't effectively use her for an offensive play and the Democrats don't know how to defend her. Obama has issued a statement that applicable laws must be followed for his aunt. If Barack Obama came out and openly assisted his aunt, there would have been a huge media frenzy asking concern troll questions about favortism and preferential treatment. President-elect Obama is still in that position. If Ms. Onyango were granted asylum without due process there would be quite a bit of rhetoric on both sides, it was fair or unfair, it was VIP string pulling. The media doesn't want to take responsibility for exploiting Ms. Onyango's situation. As it is, there's a police officer positioned outside her Boston building to chase away the curious.
Michelle Malkin referred to Ms. Onyango's asylum claim as "flimsy" and understanably denied. A poorly researched position, (but that has never stopped her before). Malkin's crocodile tear-like wailing about Barack Obama doing too little for his aunt assumes there's a close relationship between Barack Obama and his paternal family who left him when he was a toddler. A relationship strengthened with a few visits over a couple decades. Malkin presumes too much. President-elect Obama's relationship to his aunt is his business, not ours, and not Malkin's.
Zeituni Onyango needs help and she's getting it. She has an immigration lawyer based in Boston. She needs a sponsor, which should not be a problem. She may need to go to Canada and re-enter the U.S. and she may need some help with that possibility. What Ms. Onyango didn't need was some reporter from London furthering their career at her expense. She didn't need to lose her home. She doesn't need to be exploited.
The irony is, if she weren't Barack Obama's aunt, she probably would have lived in peace in West Broadway forever.