Another first for the US....

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http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20100202fate_of_obamas_aunt_to_b
e_fought_behind_closed_doors/srvc=home&position=5

Fate of Obamas aunt to be fought behind closed doors
By Laurel J. Sweet
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - Updated 1m ago

The illegal alien aunt of President Obama could learn this week whether she can
put down roots in Boston - or start packing her bags for a one-way trip back to
Kenya.

And, save for U.S. Immigration Court Judge Leonard I. Shapiro, shell know
before anyone else. Zeituni Polly Onyango has persuaded Shapiro to bar the
public from her removal proceeding Thursday morning at the John F. Kennedy
Federal Building, though its unclear why.

I assume (Shapiro) thought it would be a three-ring circus. Shes the aunt of
the president of the United States - the most famous man in the world, said
Mike Rogers, spokesman for the Ohio law firm defending Onyango, 57, against the
Department of Homeland Security.

Shapiro could not be reached for comment. However, Lauren Alder Reid of the
U.S. Department of Justices Executive Office for Immigration Review, which
speaks for the court, said closed hearings are not uncommon.

Reid said removal proceedings are sometimes held behind closed doors in cases
of political asylum - such as Onyango is requesting - domestic abuse and
security.

The immigration judge will hear the merits of the case from both parties, Reid
said yesterday. The judge may make a ruling from the bench, but theres no
guarantee.

Onyango, she said, can call witnesses if she likes.

Neither Reid nor Rogers claimed any knowledge of Obama meddling on behalf of
his late fathers African half-sister, and Rogers said Onyango isnt trying to
capitalize on family favortism.

Everyone knows shes related to him, Rogers said. Its a no-win situation for
him. He cant get involved in this. The law has got to run its course.

Onyango, a computer programmer, has been in the country illegally since 2004,
when Shapiro ordered her to leave. Recent attempts to reach her at the South
Boston housing development where shes been living since a December 2008 stay of
her deportation have been unsuccessful.