"Obama’s aunt was ruled at risk; Disclosure of case made US asylum vital, judge said" by Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff | August 17, 2010
The immigration judge who granted President Obama’s aunt asylum three months ago based his decision on the fact that an anonymous federal official had disclosed information about her immigration status to the media, a “reckless’’ act that exposed her to heightened threats of persecution in her native Kenya, according to the ruling, obtained yesterday by the Globe.
Related: Obama's Aunt is an Illegal
Also see: McCain's Ace-in-the-Hole
Well, apparently not -- and Obama didn't keep his promise!
Although the grant of asylum to Zeituni Onyango in May was made public, the written decision detailing the reason for it was kept under wraps because of federal privacy laws. But the secrecy sparked accusations that she had received favorable treatment.
The decision was released yesterday through the Freedom of Information Act.
Onyango, a 58-year-old resident of Boston public housing, had tried twice to win asylum allowing her to stay in the United States and had been rejected both times.
Of course, the state tells you illegals never receive such things.
But her third attempt came under different circumstances brought about in part by an anonymous government official, according to the decision.
Immigration Judge Leonard I. Shapiro, who presided over her deportation case in February, said a federal law enforcement official’s public revelations about her confidential case catapulted Onyango into the spotlight in a “highly publicized and highly politicized manner’’ just days before Obama’s historic election in November 2008....
Yeah, they were hoping to help the sinking McCain campaign.
Shapiro, a veteran immigration judge and Republican appointee, wrote harshly of the anonymous Bush administration official’s leak to the Associated Press for using confidential information for political purposes and said it was a “clear violation of federal regulations.’’
Related: Obama Defends Dick Cheney
Yeah, they leaked the name of Plame and.... well, you see the rest.
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The decision cleared the way for the former computer programmer to remain in the United States and one day become a US citizen. Asylum applicants must prove that they have a well-founded fear of persecution in their homelands, and because of that their cases are generally kept confidential. The Globe argued that the widespread attention to the case, plus Onyango’s decision to grant some media interviews, warranted the release of the judge’s decision.
Yeah, the Globe is a real hard worker and crack investigator on the things Americans care most about!
Shapiro’s ruling ignited national debate over whether Onyango had received special treatment because she is the president’s aunt....
Until 2008, Onyango had lived in near-obscurity in a Boston public housing development....
Hey, Massachusetts is a sanctuary state, so.... ???
Onyango came to the United States in 2000 on a “pleasure’’ trip and stayed after her visa expired the next year, according to Shapiro’s ruling....
Days before the November 2008 election, an anonymous US official confirmed to the Associated Press that Onyango was here illegally because she had lost her asylum claim — a report that injected the volatile immigration debate into the final moments of the presidential election and raised questions about how an illegal immigrant managed to stay in public housing....
In his ruling, Shapiro said Onyango’s testimony in February was sometimes confusing and inconsistent with what she said during her last quest for asylum six years ago. While Onyango did not prove that she suffered persecution while she lived in Kenya, he said he believed that her fear of future persecution was genuine.
And yet we send other guys back to be tortured.
He also acknowledged Onyango’s illegal status but did not hold it against her because there was no evidence that the federal government had ever pursued her deportation....
So the law means nothing to the Jewish judge, huh?
Shapiro’s ruling cleared the way for Onyango to apply for a work permit and a green card and to become a US citizen, after a required waiting period. She has settled into a new apartment in public housing in South Boston, said her Cleveland-based lawyer, Scott Bratton.
Also see: Michigan Murderer a Mossad Agent?
He had a green card.
“If people actually got to know her, they would realize she is a really good person with a really good heart that has volunteered in the community,’’ he said.
Hey, no one said she wasn't.
That isn't what we are talking about here.
A federal official disclosed information about Zeituni Onyango, President Obama’s aunt, to the media.
The look says it all: I got one over on you, America!
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