Barred from entering the US? Try making some generous campaign contributions

By Doug Powers • December 17, 2014 09:03 AM

**Written by Doug Powers

The lesson here being that if you’re not allowed to enter the U.S. because of a criminal record, try and have a family member apply a generous amount of WD-40 to the political hinges:

The Obama administration overturned a ban preventing a wealthy, politically connected Ecuadorean woman from entering the United States after her family gave tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns, according to finance records and government officials.

The woman, Estefanía Isaías, had been barred from coming to the United States after being caught fraudulently obtaining visas for her maids. But the ban was lifted at the request of the State Department under former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton so that Ms. Isaías could work for an Obama fund-raiser with close ties to the administration.

It was one of several favorable decisions the Obama administration made in recent years involving the Isaías family, which the government of Ecuador accuses of buying protection from Washington and living comfortably in Miami off the profits of a looted bank in Ecuador.

The family, which has been investigated by federal law enforcement agencies on suspicion of money laundering and immigration fraud, has made hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions to American political campaigns in recent years.

The timing? Just a little coincidental:

An email from Mr. Menendez’s office sharing the good news was dated May 15, 2012, one day after, campaign finance records show, Ms. Isaías’s mother gave $40,000 to the Obama Victory Fund, which provided donations to the president and other Democrats.

Maybe she’ll wind up being named Ambassador to Cuba… after another check clears of course:

BREAKING: US officials: US to start talks with Cuba to normalize full diplomatic relations, open embassy.

— The Associated Press (@AP) December 17, 2014

**Written by Doug Powers

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