Court to rule on deporting Obama's aunt by May

BOSTON (Reuters) - Authorities will decide by May at the latest whether to deport an aunt of President Barack Obama to her Kenyan homeland, the Justice Department said after a hearing in her case on Thursday.

Zeituni Onyango, 57, a half-sister to Obama's father whom Obama called "Auntie Zeituni" in his memoir "Dreams from My Father," moved to the United States in 2000 and applied for asylum in 2002, citing violence in Kenya.

That request was denied but she has continued to contest her deportation. At Thursday's hearing a judge gave Onyango and the government 30 days to file closing arguments.

Department of Justice spokeswoman Lauren Alder Reid said another hearing was set for May 25 if the judge had not made a decision before then.

(Reporting by Ros Krasny; Editing by David Storey)