The Romeikes fled Germany in 2008 after being fined $9,000 for homeschooling their children and ended up in Tennessee.
While failing to remove the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who have made their way across the southern border to cities all over the United States, the Biden administration has targeted a family for whom the country has been home for the past 15 years.
The Romeikes fled Germany in 2008 after being fined $9,000 for homeschooling their children and ended up in Morristown, Tennessee, where they went on to build a life and grow their family. The Obama administration threatened to deport them, however, they managed to remain in the country. Now, 10 years after their asylum claim was last denied, the federal government is seeking to force them to return to Germany.
According to WBIR, the Romeikes applied for asylum arguing their inability to homeschool under German law amounted to persecution. Their claim was originally granted by an immigration judge, however, the Department of Justice appealed the decision and had it revoked.
With legal assistance from the US Home School Defense Association, the family took their case to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2013, however, their claim was denied on the grounds that they failed to prove that "Germany's enforcement of its general school-attendance law amounts to persecution against them."
The Romeikes lived in the US without permanent resident or citizenship status, and they have continued to check in periodically with immigration officials. Now, however, the Biden administration has asked them to leave.
In an interview with Fox News, Uwe and Hannelore Romeike explained that on September 6, they were presented with an order for removal from the US. No further explanation was provided.
Their lawyer, Kevin Boden, explained that the Romeikes had done their best to follow the law since 2013, and were committed to exploring all legal avenues to remain in the country.
Over the past decade and a half, two of the Romeike's seven children have married American citizens, and they have all made the US their home.
"Everything is here in America," said Mr. Romeike, a piano accompanist at Carson-Newman University. "We don't have any place to live [in Germany]. I don't have any work to provide for my family over there."
Germany's homeschooling laws have not changed, thus if Romeikes are deported, they will likely face persecution if they try to continue teaching their children themselves.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
