Illegal immigration (and how to deal with it) has been among the most important political issues of this election year. In a remarkable oversight, however, Barack Obama has somehow forgotten to mention one small fact regarding the issue: his own aunt is an illegal alien.
This incredible revelation followed an investigation by the Associated Press and was made public just days before Tuesday’s election. The Obama campaign claims that the candidate did not know his aunt was here illegally, stated generically that all laws should be followed but overall has given only minimal comment on the discovery.
The woman, 56-year old Kenyan Zeituni Onyango, referred to fondly as “Auntie Zeituni” in Obama’s first memoir, Dreams From My Father, has been under court order to leave the country for four years. Onyango, however, has simply ignored the order and has instead been living in public housing in Boston, Mass.
The discovery raises a number of important questions regarding Obama, his potential bias on illegal immigration matters, and perhaps even his honesty. This is especially true since Obama has made his personal and family “story” a centerpiece of his campaign. Among the questions raised are:
1) Did Obama know his aunt was in willful violation of a court order to leave?
2) As a Harvard educated lawyer and a United States Senator, did Obama offer his Aunt Zeituni any advice or assistance with her case or her decision to defy the court deportation order?
3) Are any other members of Obama’s family in the country illegally?
4) How did his aunt manage to qualify for public housing assistance while under a court order to leave the United States?
5) Since his aunt lives in public housing, does this mean that Obama supports public assistance for other illegal aliens?
6) Again, since his aunt lives in public housing, has Obama considered spreading any of his personal wealth to her, or is it just the wealth of taxpayers that he is in favor of “sharing” with others.
7) Most importantly, if elected president, will his family relationships compromise his enthusiasm for immigration law enforcement, and will he amnesty his aunt - and the 12 million other illegal aliens currently trespassing in this country?
I contacted the Obama campaign with these questions Saturday, but have not yet heard back from them.
The silence of the Obama campaign on this revelation seems typical of an organization that, once ahead in the polls, has simply deflected all inquiries as “personal attacks” or “distractions” and apparently intends to run out the clock before Americans learn too much more about Barack Obama.
