A Christian family is begging the Biden administration to intervene in their upcoming deportation after living in the US for 15 years seeking asylum from persecution in Germany.
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike fled Germany in 2008 after German authorities seized the children from the family and took them to a public school, according to a press release from the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA).
Homeschooling in Germany is only allowed in very limited circumstances, and the family was facing a $9,000 fine, so they moved to East Tennessee and filed for asylum. They were being persecuted for their faith.
Authorities denied their claim in 2013, with the family attempting to appeal the decision after the Obama administration challenged the initial ruling that granted them asylum. They do not have citizenship in the US.
They have been able to live in the US for the last ten years under an 'indefinite deferred action status', but were told earlier this month they must return to Germany. Their deportation comes as millions of asylum seekers are pouring into the US near the Texas border.
In their initial argument, the family claimed that 'God was calling them to homeschool their five children', claiming that the 'anti-Christian' message in German schools was also a factor.
The couple are now begging the Biden administration to intervene in the decision after they were told to obtain German passports on September 6.
During a routine check-in, the family were told their deferred status had been revoked and were given four weeks to apply for German passports.
Speaking to Fox and Friends, Uwe said: 'They did not tell us anything. We don't really know why. We wonder ourselves because we can't understand.'
His wife added that the 'laws haven't changed' in Germany so they would still face 'the same persecution. The family was not given any prior warning or explanation, other than there had been a 'change of orders.'
In a legal brief in 2014, the Justice Department wrote: 'The goal in Germany is for an open, pluralistic society. Teaching tolerance to children of all backgrounds helps to develop the ability to interact as a fully functioning citizen in Germany.'
Kevin Boden, an attorney representing the family, said:
The Romeike family did have a well-founded fear of persecution based on their participation in a particular social category, that being homeschoolers. I can tell you today, I talked to families today that have fear in Germany and the fight there, the persecution there, is very real today as it was 15 years ago. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) said in a statement: 'In the 10 years that the Romeikes have lived peacefully in the United States, they've built a second life. 'They have two children who are American citizens, and two other children who married American citizens (one of these couples recently welcomed their first child).
Deportation to Germany will fracture these families, while exposing the Romeikes to renewed persecution in Germany, where homeschooling is still illegal in almost every case.
Their deportation comes as millions of asylum seekers are pouring into the US near the Texas border.
“We tried to do it the right way,” Hannelore Romeike said. And we don’t get to stay here, or to immigrate. For 15 years we fight for that right and it seems there are two faces to this [Biden] administration.”
I read extensively about this family in 2012. It’s a classic case of being persecuted for religious views, and that is what asylum was designed for, for people like the Romeike’s.
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"Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts” (Malachi 3:5).
“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; but the righteous will see their fall” (Proverbs 29:2,16).
