Barack Obama’s campaign to become the first black American President was rocked yesterday, only 72 hours before election day, by the revelation that his aunt is an illegal immigrant in the US.
News about Obama’s relative is a chance for the McCain campaign to generate some last-minute negative headlines about Obama. Four years ago Zeituni Onyango, 56, who is mentioned in Obama’s personal memoir, was instructed by a court to leave the country after being denied political asylum. However, she now lives in local authority housing in Boston.
Illegal immigration is a political minefield in US politics and the story could be a vote-losing headache for Obama. Her refusal to leave the country does not make her unusual in America - there are an estimated 10 million ‘illegals’ - but the issue is a hot button one, especially with the white working-class voters courted by both Obama and John McCain.
Illegal immigrants are often accused of taking jobs and government services from US citizens and legal residents. Onyango, Obama’s half-aunt on his father’s side, has donated to his campaign, with five small gifts totalling $260. Those donations may turn out to be illegal, since Onyango is not a US citizen. His campaign said in a statement: ‘Senator Obama has no knowledge of her status, but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed.’
The revelation came as McCain cut Obama’s lead in the polls and police forces in major cities made extra security preparations for election day.
In Chicago, Obama is holding a rally downtown after the polls close on Tuesday night and it is believed that up to a million people could flood the city’s streets. All police leave has been cancelled and off-duty firefighters have been told to keep their kit ready at home. The unspoken concern among some is that a surprise Obama loss - especially with most polls predicting a win for the Democrat - could lead to civil unrest.
Detroit and Los Angeles were also deploying extra police out of concern for the potentially heightened emotions raised by this election. Yesterday McCain was nudging into a slight lead in one element of a three-day tracking poll by respected pollster John Zogby. The overall survey still gave the victory to Obama by five points, but McCain was a point ahead on the third day.
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