Judge extends Obama's Aunt Zeituni's stay in United States

By GottaLaff

Last night I posted about President Obama's Aunt Zeituni becoming a symbol in the immigration debate. Not an easy position to be in. But now she gets some good news:

President Barack Obama's Kenyan aunt, who was ordered deported five years ago, can stay in the United States legally until next year when she makes a new asylum bid, an immigration judge ruled on Wednesday. [...]

Zeituni Onyango, 56, whom Obama calls "Auntie Zeituni" in one of his memoirs, has been living in a public housing complex in Boston and is the half-sister of Obama's father.

"The decision as to Ms. Onyango's request to stay permanently in the U.S. will be made during a second hearing," Michael Rogers, a spokesman for Onyango's lawyer, Margaret Wong, said in a statement. [...]

The hearing on Wednesday was closed to the media. The next hearing is set for February 4, 2010. [...]

Obama's campaign said in November he had no knowledge of Onyango's immigration status and that "any and all appropriate laws" should be followed in her case. His aides questioned the timing of the disclosure.