Zeituni Onyango, the half-sister of President Obama’s late father, was instructed to leave the United States four years ago  when her request for asylum from her native Kenya was rejected

Just days before Barack Obama’s election, the Bush administration imposed a  rule called “Fugitive Case File Vetting Prior to Arrest” requiring federal immigrations agents to obtain high-level approval before they can arrest fugitives.

According the Associated Press, the directive may have been imposed because U.S. officials were worried about possible election implications of arresting Zeituni Onyango, who was living illegally in the United States.

This rule was quietly withdrawn shortly after Obama’s election,  leaving Obama’s aunt no longer protected from arrest.  However a judge has reopened her case requesting asylum on December 30, and she has a hearing on April 1 in a Boston immigration court, according Elaine Komis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Executive Office of Immigration Review.

Onyango attended her nephew’s recent inauguration in Washington.

More about immigration status of Obama’s Aunt

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