House Chairman: Obama Uncle’s Got "backdoor amnesty"

By Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
September 9, 2011

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Friday that President Obama’s half-uncle, an illegal immigrant who was picked up but has reportedly been released from jail, appears to have benefited from the new “backdoor amnesty” the administration announced last month.

“It appears there is a double standard — one for President Obama’s family and one for everyone else,” Rep. Lamar Smith, Texas Republican, said. “Last year, President Obama’s illegal immigrant aunt was granted asylum and now his illegal immigrant uncle has been released from [the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency] custody, even though he was arrested by authorities for drunk driving.”

Mr. Smith said the case will be the first “test case” for a new Homeland Security policy announced last month that gives immigration authorities more discretion to let illegal immigrants go, rather than pursue efforts to deport them.

The Boston Globe reported Friday that Onyango Obama, the half-brother of the president’s father, was released from jail Thursday after being held for more than two weeks on an immigration detainer after he was arrested on a drunk-driving charge.

Asked about the case last week, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told reporters she couldn’t comment on a specific matter and didn’t know enough about the incident.

A White House spokesman said last week that he did not expect the man to receive special treatment.

The Globe said it was unclear where the president’s uncle was.