President Obama admits he lived with drunk driving uncle Onyango Onyango Obama, 69, has been an illegal resident of the U.S. since his student visa ran out in 1970 Judge ruled that he is now allowed to apply to be a legal resident President first denied ever meeting his uncle but Onyango claimed in court that Barack stayed with him for three weeks while at law school in 1988 Today the White House released a statement saying that the President did know and stay with his uncle 'Omar' but they have not seen each other in 20 years and not spoken with one another in the past decade President Obama has now admitted that he did live with his illegal immigrant uncle for weeks as a law student even though he initially denied ever meeting the man. The backpedaling admission comes after Onyango Obama said during his immigration court hearing that he hosted his young nephew Barack for several weeks back in the late 1980s. The White House had previously put out a statement saying that the President had never met the man claiming to be his uncle, but they reversed their position after Kenyan-born Onyango was given permission to remain in the country and apply for legal citizenship status. Family resemblance? After initially denying that he had ever met his uncle Onyango Obama (right) but put out a statement reneging that today The first hint that the two actually did know each other came in the President's book 'Dreams From My Father' when he describes an uncle named Omar who matches Onyango's age and life story. The White House used that version of his name in their concession on Thursday. 'The president first met Omar Obama when he moved to Cambridge for law school,' White House spokesman Eric Schultz told The Boston Globe. The president did stay with him for a brief period of time until his apartment was ready. After that, they saw each other once every few months, but after law school they fell out of touch. An uncle's duty: Onyango, 69, said that he happily took a young Barack Obama in and housed him for three weeks while he was just starting at Harvard Law School in 1988 The president has not seen him in 20 years, has not spoken with him in 10. The debate over the President's relationship to the 69-year-old man began in 2011 when Onyango was pulled over for drunken driving. When he was taken to the police station in Framingham, Massachusetts, he allegedly said: "I think I will call the White House." The elder Obama has lived in the United States since the 1960s, when he came here as a teenager to attend school. Obama, a liquor store manager, was ordered to leave the country in 1992, but remained. Days as a student: Before heading up to Boston for law school, a young 'Barry' Obama attended Columbia University for his undergraduate studies The drunken driving incident brought the immigration issue back to the attention of law enforcement. Boston Globe journalist Maria Sacchetti was in the courtroom on Wednesday, saying that Onyango admitted he 'made a mistake drinking 3 beers' before getting behind the wheel that night. He listed his relatives that live in the U.S., including the most famous family connection: 'I do have a nephew. He's the President of the United States.' Outside of court, he said he was happy to have his young nephew stay with him in Cambridge when he was starting out at the prestigious law school. 'It's a good thing to let your nephew stay with you,' he said according to The Boston Globe, saying that his close family helped one another out. 'Our brother's kids are your kids as well.