President Obama's uncle, arrested on a charge of drunken driving near Boston, is being held without bail on suspicion he may be in the USA illegally.

Onyango Obama, the half brother of Barack Obama, Sr., told police he would call the White House about bail, according to a police report.

From the Associated Press:

Onyango Obama was arrested last week in Framingham, about 20 miles west of Boston, after police said he made a rolling stop through a stop sign and nearly caused a cruiser to strike his sport-utility vehicle.

Police said that after being booked at the police station, Obama was asked whether he wanted to make a telephone call to arrange for bail.

"I think I will call the White House," he stated, according to a police report filed in Framingham District Court.

Police said Obama, who's originally from Kenya and is the half brother of the president's late father, pleaded not guilty Friday and was being held without bail on a detainer from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a court document, ICE said he had an earlier deportation or removal order.

His immigration status couldn't immediately be confirmed, but such orders are generally reserved for people living in the country illegally.

An immigration detainer, used by ICE to identify people in jail or prison who could be deported, is a request to another law enforcement agency to notify ICE before releasing the person from custody so ICE can arrange to take over custody.

A spokesman for ICE declined to comment on Obama's immigration case, and the White House had no comment.

The Associated Press also noted:

In the president's memoir Dreams from My Father, which is about retracing his roots and his trip to Kenya in 1988, Obama refers to an Uncle Omar, who matches Onyango Obama's background and has the same date of birth.

Onyango Obama, 67, was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and failure to yield the right of way.

Michael Rogers, a spokesman for Cleveland immigration attorney Margaret Wong, said Wong will represent Obama. He confirmed that Obama is the half brother of the president's father and the brother of another relative, the president's aunt Zeituni Onyango of Boston.

Onyango made headlines last year when she won the right to stay in the USA after an earlier deportation order. She came to the USA from Kenya in 2000 and was denied asylum by an immigration judge in 2004.

She stayed in the country illegally and was granted asylum last year by a judge who found she could be a target in Kenya not only for those who oppose the United States and the president but also for members of the Kenyan government.

Hmm now we need to see Obama's birth certificate for the second time