Obama's Columbia University Registration: Foreign Student Mystery

A viral image has been shared on social media platforms, including Facebook, that purports to show former US President Barack Obama's Columbia University student ID card, listing him as a foreign student under the name Barry Soetoro. However, this claim is false. The image is a fake, and the ID card has been digitally altered. The original ID card belonged to a different student, Thomas Lugert, and was posted online in 1998. Furthermore, Columbia University did not start using digital ID cards until 1996, three years after Obama graduated.

Obama's Columbia University ID card is fake

An image of a purported 1981 Columbia University student ID card has been shared online, showing the name "Barry Soetoro" and "Foreign student" underneath. This image is a sham. Firstly, Obama stopped using the name "Soetoro" (his stepfather's surname) when he moved back to Hawaii at age 10. Secondly, the ID card format in the image wasn't introduced at Columbia until 1996—13 years after Obama graduated. Thirdly, the photograph on the ID card is not a picture of Obama as a 20-year-old college student; it was taken several years later during or after his time at Harvard Law School. Finally, Columbia University has confirmed that the ID card is fake, stating that they "didn't even have such IDs then" and that they don't label student IDs with "foreign student".

Obama's birth certificate is real

Barack Obama's birth certificate is real.

Obama's birth certificate has been the subject of extensive scrutiny and conspiracy theories, with some claiming that he was born in Kenya and therefore ineligible to be President of the United States. These theories, known as "birther" theories, have been promoted by fringe groups and individuals, including former President Donald Trump. However, multiple fact-checking organizations and media outlets have confirmed the authenticity of Obama's Hawaiian birth certificate. Obama himself publicly released his birth certificate on two occasions: a shorter version in 2008 and a more detailed one in 2011.

The false claim that Obama was born in Kenya first surfaced during his 2008 presidential campaign and has resurfaced periodically since then. It has been repeatedly debunked by various sources, including Snopes and PolitiFact. The fake Kenyan birth certificate that has circulated online was created based on an Australian birth certificate from 1959 and contains several errors, such as wrongly stating that Kenya was a republic in 1961, which was the year of Obama's birth.

In addition to the birth certificate evidence, there is further corroboration of Obama's birth in Hawaii. Birth notices for Barack Obama were published in two Honolulu newspapers, The Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, in August 1961, and his father's immigration file also states that Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. Furthermore, Hawaii's Department of Health has confirmed on multiple occasions that they hold Obama's "original birth certificate" and that he was born in Hawaii.

Despite the overwhelming evidence, some individuals and groups continue to propagate the false narrative that Obama was not born in the United States. This persistence can be attributed to various factors, including political and ideological motivations, as well as racial animus. However, the fact remains that Barack Obama's birth certificate is real, and he meets the constitutional requirement of being a natural-born citizen to hold the office of President.

Obama's ID card uses the name Barry Soetoro

Several sources have debunked the claim that a Columbia University ID card shows Barack Obama was a foreign student named Barry Soetoro. The image in question is a fake, with the ID belonging to a student named Thomas Lugert in 1998. Columbia University didn't start using digital ID cards until 1996, and Obama graduated in 1983. Furthermore, Obama stopped using the last name "Soetoro" (his Indonesian stepfather's name) when he moved back to his birthplace, Hawaii, at the age of 10. There are no records to suggest that Obama ever went by his childhood alias while attending Columbia University.

The false claim that Obama's ID card used the name Barry Soetoro and identified him as a foreign student is part of a series of conspiracy theories that attempt to demonstrate that Obama was not a US citizen and was therefore ineligible to be President of the United States. In 2011, Obama published his long-form birth certificate to prove that he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and rebut these conspiracy theories.

The image of the ID card in question is a forgery, as the photograph it bears is not a picture of a 20-year-old Barack Obama from 1981; it's a picture taken several years later, during or shortly after his time at Harvard Law School (1988-1991). The image appears to be a Photoshopped version of Thomas Lugert's ID card, with the number on the card unchanged.

Columbia University spokesman Robert Hornsby confirmed that the ID card is a fake, stating, "We didn't even have such IDs then." Additionally, Hornsby clarified that even if Obama were a foreign student, his ID would not have said "foreign student" because Columbia University doesn't label student IDs in that manner.

Obama's ID card uses the name Thomas Lugert

Several sources have debunked the claim that a Columbia University ID card bearing the name "Thomas Lugert" was altered to include a photo of Barack Obama and the words "foreign student". The image has been circulated online, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook, and has been proven to be false.

The image in question is a digitally altered version of a Columbia University ID card issued to Thomas Lugert in 1998. The original card has the same card number and even the same shadowing as seen on the fake Obama ID. The photograph of Barack Obama used on the fake ID was taken during or shortly after his time at Harvard Law School (1988-1991) or in 1999 when he was a state senator in Illinois.

Furthermore, Columbia University did not start using digital ID cards until 1996, years after Obama graduated in 1983. The university has confirmed that the ID card is fake, stating that they "didn't even have such IDs then." Additionally, Columbia University does not label student IDs with the term "foreign student."

The false claim that Obama attended Columbia University as a foreign student named "Barry Soetoro" (the surname of his Indonesian stepfather) is likely an attempt to cast doubt on his eligibility to be President of the United States. However, Obama has refuted these conspiracy theories, even taking the rare step of publishing his long-form birth certificate to prove he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Obama's ID card photo was taken in 1999

An image of a Columbia University student ID card has been circulating on social media, claiming that Barack Obama registered at the university as a foreign student under the name Barry Soetoro. However, this image is fake. The ID card pictured is not a real Columbia University student ID issued to Barack Obama; it is an altered version of a Columbia University ID card issued to another student, Thomas Lugert, in 1998. The pictured card couldn't have been issued to Obama in 1981, as digital ID cards were not introduced at Columbia until 1996, and the photograph on the card was taken in 1999, when Obama was in his late 30s and serving as an Illinois state senator.

Obama did use the name "Soetoro" as a boy in Indonesia, where he lived with his Indonesian stepfather, who had the same surname. However, he stopped using his stepfather's name when he moved back to Hawaii, his birthplace, at the age of 10. There are no records to suggest that Obama ever went by his childhood alias while attending Columbia University. In fact, an essay published in the university's weekly magazine in 1983 was bylined "Barack Obama".

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