President Barack Obama’s uncle was charged with drink ­driving in Massachusetts and was held by immigration officials.

Onyango Obama was arrested last week in Framingham after police said he made a rolling stop and nearly caused a cruiser to hit his SUV.

The police said that when asked if he wanted to make a phone call, Mr Obama said: “I think I will call the White House.”

A spokesman for Cleveland immigration lawyer Margaret Wong, who is representing him, confirmed that the 67-year-old is the President’s uncle.

Police say the President’s uncle is originally from Kenya and is being held without bail by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.