Arguments Heard in German Homeschool Family's Deportation Case

Religion Today | Updated: May 15, 2013

Arguments Heard in German Homeschool Family's Deportation Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit heard arguments Tuesday in a case, Romeike v. Holder, that could grant or revoke asylum for the German homeschooling family, the Christian Post reports. If the Romeikes lose, they could be deported back to Germany, where the state threatened to take their children away from them if they did not send them to public school. Though the Romeikes -- Uwe, Hannelore and their six children -- were granted asylum in 2010, the federal government is trying to revoke that asylum, arguing in part that parents do not have a fundamental right to choose the type of education their children receive. The Romeikes are being defended by the Home School Legal Defense Association, which also helped them initially move to the United States and obtain asylum. The Romeikes decided to homeschool their children because they believed the public schools in Germany were teaching values in opposition to their Christian beliefs. They were forced to pay fines and their children were forcibly removed from their home and taken to the public school. After they were granted political asylum in a Tennessee district court, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appealed the decision in 2012. The Board of Immigration Appeals agreed with the government, and from there the case was appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.



Arguments Heard in German Homeschool Family's Deportation Case