by Ollie R. Jefferson, Attorney at Law

This letter was first printed in The Dallas Morning News Wednesday, 11/05/2008, Letters to the Editor

As an immigration attorney, I help foreign nationals apply for asylum in the U.S.

I was alarmed and disheartened to read that someone with the U.S. government had leaked information that Barack Obama's aunt had applied for asylum protection. It is a violation of federal regulations for that information to have been leaked.

Now, if she returns to Kenya, her life could be even more at risk, because Kenyan officials will know that she has spoken against her country in applying for asylum. This confidentiality provision in the law is for the protection of the applicant and should not have been breached.

People who are seeking protection from abusive governments or individuals should never be sacrificed for political expediency.

Ollie Jefferson, Arlington

Ollie Ruth Jefferson, a member of AILA and NLG, is an immigration attorney who practices in the Dallas / Fort Worth area. She has developed an active subspecialty in Asylum Law, and has written extensively on immigrant and human rights issues.