{"id":2046955,"date":"2023-09-27T18:04:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T22:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-faces-deportation-after-fleeing-germany-to-homeschool-their-children\/"},"modified":"2023-09-27T18:05:52","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T22:05:52","slug":"family-faces-deportation-after-fleeing-germany-to-homeschool-their-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-faces-deportation-after-fleeing-germany-to-homeschool-their-children\/","title":{"rendered":"Family Faces Deportation for Homeschooling Kids After Leaving Germany."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffamily-faces-deportation-after-fleeing-germany-to-homeschool-their-children%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2046955&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<p>A \u2062German family sought\u200d asylum in the \u200cUnited States 15 years ago. They were \u2064being persecuted by their government for their deep faith \u2063in God \u200dand for homeschooling their children.<\/p>\n<p>Now, without warning, the United States \u200dgovernment says \u2063they must leave. \u200dNo one will tell them why.<\/p>\n<p>When Uwe and Hannelore Romeike decided to homeschool their five children, German authorities responded with fines and threats to seize custody of the children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related \u200cStories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/public-schools-hemorrhage-students-as-boom-in-homeschooling-continues-5491046?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Public Schools Hemorrhage Students as Boom in Homeschooling Continues<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/public-schools-hemorrhage-students-as-boom-in-homeschooling-continues-5491046?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/parental-rights-group-releases-list-of-over-1000-school-districts-hiding-students-gender-identity-5498114?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Parental Rights Group Releases List of\u200b Over 1,000 School Districts Hiding Students\u2019 \u200cGender Identity<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/25\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/parental-rights-group-releases-list-of-over-1000-school-districts-hiding-students-gender-identity-5498114?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:234px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>Uwe and Hannelore Romeike in an undated photo. (Courtesy \u200bof Hannelore Romeike)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;In 2006, we \u200cbegan homeschooling our children in Germany,&#8221; Mr. Romeike told The Epoch\u200d Times. &#8220;Then we started getting\u2063 in trouble with\u2064 the authorities, the \u200dprincipal, the mayor, to the higher authorities. Then they started sending \u2063the police\u200d to take our children to school.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Then came the fines.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They want to ruin you financially and just force you into giving up and bringing your kids to school,&#8221; Mrs. Romeike \u200cadded.\u200b &#8220;They just force you in whatever way works. Even before we left \u2063they changed the laws so that they could show up to your house without a court order \u200cand take your children. That was the last step. That&#8217;s when we decided we had to leave.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mr. Romeike recalled how other homeschooling \u2062parents were being arrested and thrown in\u2064 jail.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Their businesses were being \u200cclosed,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In 2008, with the help of the <a href=\"https:\/\/hslda.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Home School Legal Defense Association<\/a> (HSLDA), the Romeikes applied for asylum in the United States.<\/p>\n<h2>Where It Began<\/h2>\n<p>The Romeike family lived in Bissingen in the\u2062 district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-W\u00fcrttemberg.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>According to court documents (<a href=\"https:\/\/hslda.org\/docs\/librariesprovider2\/public\/international\/romeikebrief.pdf?sfvrsn=b676fed1_3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>), it all began on Sept. 20, 2006, when Wolfgang Rose, principal of the government school where the family lived, came to the\u2064 Romeikes&#8217; home to confront\u200b Mrs. Romeike. He demanded that \u200bher children &#8220;attend \u2064the government school, or he would retaliate with unspecified action.&#8221;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:275px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>Hannelore Romeike (C) stands \u200cwith four of her children\u2014(L\u2013R) Lydia, Josua, Daniel, and Christian (front)\u2014at the Ludwigsburg Palace in Ludwigsburg, Germany, in 2004. (Courtesy of Hannelore Romeike)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Sept. 25, 2006, he confronted both parents, condemning their religious beliefs and demanding that their children attend\u200c the government school &#8220;or they\u200d would suffer consequences.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Oct. 6,\u200d 2006, the mayor of their town contacted the\u200c Romeikes by phone, belittling their faith \u200dand\u2063 threatening &#8220;consequences&#8221; if they didn&#8217;t\u2064 bring their children to the government school.<\/p>\n<p>Two \u2063days later, he threatened to fine them the equivalent of $45 \u200dper child per day until \u200bthey complied.<\/p>\n<p>On Oct. 20, \u20622006, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-accused-of-murdering-sir-david-amess-says-he-killed-british-politician-to-help-muslims\/\" title=\"Man Accused of Murdering Sir David Amess Says He Killed British Politician to 'Help Muslims'\">police officers entered<\/a> \u2064their home and forcibly took the Romeikes&#8217; children \u2062to the government school.<\/p>\n<p>Three days later they tried to\u2062 do it again, but a group of the family&#8217;s neighbors, fellow homeschooling families, and people from their church gathered outside \u2063their home to protest the action and prevented \u200cthe authorities from taking the children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Sisters Sarah (L)\u2064 and Becky Romeike attend a homeschool session on\u2064 the back deck of their Tennessee home. (Courtesy of Hannelore Romeike)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Oct. 24, 2006, the school principal threatened to report the Romeikes to the national Youth Welfare Office.<\/p>\n<p>On Dec. 19, 2006, Mr. and Mrs. Romeike were each fined the equivalent of about $112 per school-aged child for the 22 days they had not attended the \u2063government school.<\/p>\n<p>Between April 2007 and March 2008, the German government imposed additional fines in excess of $20,000.<\/p>\n<p>The Romeikes \u200dtried to fight back through the German courts, but to claim the unpaid fines, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/family-faces-deportation-after-fleeing-germany-to-homeschool-their-children\/\" title=\"Family Faces Deportation for Homeschooling Kids After Leaving Germany.\">officials\u2063 began proceedings<\/a> to seize their home, and they were going to take\u200d their children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>It was time to flee.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;We&#8217;ve Lost Our Freedom Again&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>The Romeikes have built a peaceful\u200b life in Tennessee, and they said they&#8217;ve followed all of the immigration rules.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:263px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>Uwe\u200d and Hannelore\u200d Romeike meet Ryker Bates, their first American-born grandchild, on Sept. 12, 2023. (Courtesy of \u200cHannelore Romeike)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Then three weeks ago we were told to come back with our renewed German passports and be ready to self-remove by Oct. 11,&#8221; Mr. Romeike said. &#8220;They didn&#8217;t give us any reason why our\u2064 status changed so we don&#8217;t really know what&#8217;s going on.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It is \u2064really hard to immigrate to America and become citizens right now, doing it the\u200d right way,&#8221; Mrs. Romeike said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;We\u200b came \u200chere to \u2063seek freedom and \u200bwe\u2063 were granted that,&#8221; Mr.\u200c Romeike added. &#8220;But now we&#8217;ve lost our freedom again here in the United \u2062States.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;It Was Fear&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Asked why they homeschooled their children in\u200b Germany, Mr. Romeike said it was because they began noticing a change in their children after three years in \u200dthe government school.\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Their personalities changed,&#8221; he recalled. &#8220;They became withdrawn and \u200cdepressed. They had headaches and stomachaches, which we couldn&#8217;t figure out\u2063 with a physical reason.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:277px\" class=\"alignleft\"><figcaption>Hannelore Romeike stands with the tomato plant\u2062 in her home garden in Tennessee in an undated photo. (Courtesy of Hannelore \u2062Romeike)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;It \u200cwas\u2062 fear,&#8221; Mrs. Romeike insisted.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They were fearful to \u200cgo to school because of violence and the bullying,&#8221; \u2062he added.<\/p>\n<p>Then they saw the disturbing\u2064 content of the school books.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Romeike described how the textbooks promoted &#8220;trusting in Satan rather than God,&#8221; and &#8220;disobedience to your\u2063 parents and authority.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It was beyond any reason, and that \u2064was 15 years \u2064ago,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t even want to know what&#8217;s in those books now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Boden, a staff attorney with the HSLDF, confirmed \u2064to The Epoch Times that no reason has been given for the \u2064sudden decision to deport the family.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What we do know is there \u200dwas\u2063 a verbal discussion with \u200cthe Romeikes, and \u2064instead of being told to come back in six or 12 months for a routine visit, they were told to come back in\u200d four weeks and to bring their passports with the purpose of self-deportation,&#8221; he said.\u200b &#8220;We don&#8217;t know why, or what level that came from.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We can speculate that it&#8217;s because they&#8217;re evangelical Christians, or it&#8217;s because they&#8217;re homeschoolers, or it&#8217;s because the German government wants this done and there&#8217;s some compliance with the Germans,&#8221; he suggested.<\/p>\n<p>But at the end of the day, the fact is the family was told\u200c to return to immigration services and prepare to leave the country, Mr. Boden said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They arrived\u200c here lawfully. \u200cThey&#8217;ve\u2063 been here lawfully. They&#8217;ve complied with the law for \u206215 years,&#8221;\u200c Mr. \u200dBoden\u2062 said. &#8220;They&#8217;ve\u200c been productive, \u200bcontributing members of their community and they have two \u2063children who are American citizens.\u200c They&#8217;re just a delightful \u200dfamily, the type of family you or \u200dI would want in our neighborhood. They&#8217;re \u2064just \u2063quality people.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Uwe and Hannelore Romeike (5th, 6th L) with their family in an undated photo.\u2062 (Courtesy of \u2063Hannelore Romeike).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The \u2062deadline for the\u2064 Romeikes&#8217; deportation is Oct. 11. <a href=\"https:\/\/go.hslda.org\/HelptheRomeikes2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A petition<\/a> \u200dhas been started to allow\u200b them to remain in the United States.<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;We want \u2064to stay here \u2062legally,&#8221; Mr. Romeike continued. &#8220;We came\u2064 legally and that&#8217;s what we wanted to do and \u200dwhat we still want\u2062 to do. We all have our work\u200b here. We are not dependent on the government. We \u200cpay our taxes. We just want to\u200d be\u2064 left in peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What were the implications of the Supreme Court&#8217;s decision to decline hearing the Romeike\u200b family&#8217;s \u200bcase regarding \u2064their\u200c right to homeschool<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u200bSchool\u200b regularly,\u2062 as required by\u200d the German education laws,&#8221; and warned that \u2063if they \u2064continued to homeschool, he would take legal action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The \u200bRomeikes refused to comply and continued to homeschool their children, prompting the German authorities to impose fines on them. They were also threatened with the\u2063 seizure of their children&#8217;s custody.<\/p>\n<p>The situation escalated when the police were sent to their home to forcibly take\u2064 their children to \u2064school. The Romeikes realized \u200bthat their \u200conly option was \u200dto leave their country\u200c and seek asylum elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>In 2008, they applied for asylum \u200din\u200d the United States with the assistance of the\u200c Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). \u200cThey argued that they were \u200cbeing persecuted for their religious beliefs and \u2064their choice to homeschool.<\/p>\n<p>After a long legal battle, the\u200c Romeikes were granted asylum by an immigration judge in 2010.\u2062 The judge \u2063concluded that the German government&#8217;s treatment of the family was a violation of \u200btheir fundamental rights\u2063 to freedom of religion\u2062 and education.<\/p>\n<p>However, the\u200d story doesn&#8217;t end there. The United States government appealed the decision, arguing that\u2063 the Romeikes did not meet the criteria for asylum because homeschooling is not a \u2062fundamental\u200b human right.<\/p>\n<p>The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analyst-weighs-in-on-daniel-penny-chokehold-case\/\" title=\"Expert analyzes Daniel Penny's chokehold case.\">garnered significant attention<\/a> \u2063and support from organizations and individuals\u200d who believe in the right to homeschool. In 2014, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively ending the legal battle.<\/p>\n<p>For the past 15 years, the Romeike family has built a \u200blife in the United States. They \u200dhave become productive members of society and have contributed\u2063 to their community. They have been grateful for \u200bthe freedom and opportunities they found in their new country.<\/p>\n<p>However, recently they received a notice from the United States government stating that they must leave the\u200d country. No reason was given, and the family is left with uncertainty and fear.<\/p>\n<p>The Romeikes&#8217; \u200bstory highlights the\u200d challenges faced by families who choose to homeschool \u200ctheir children in countries \u2063where\u2062 it is not widely accepted or supported. It raises questions about the limits of government authority and the rights of parents to make decisions \u200cregarding \u2063their \u200cchildren&#8217;s education.<\/p>\n<p>While homeschooling is a\u200c controversial topic, it is important to \u200brecognize that parents have the right \u200dto\u2062 choose the education that \u200cbest aligns with \u2063their beliefs \u200dand\u2064 values. As\u2063 long as the education \u200cprovided \u2062meets certain standards for \u2064academic achievement and well-being, parents \u200dshould be able to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-drops-plan-to-track-chinese-communist-influence-in-american-schools-report\/\" title=\"Biden Drops Plan To Track Chinese Communist Influence In American Schools: Report\">make informed choices<\/a> for \u200btheir children.<\/p>\n<p>The Romeike family&#8217;s battle for the right to\u2063 homeschool \u2064is a\u2063 reminder\u200c that\u2062 freedom\u2062 should be \u2063valued and protected. It is a reminder that the \u2062pursuit of\u2064 knowledge and the \u200ddesire to pass on beliefs and values to the next \u200bgeneration should not be stifled or\u2064 suppressed.<\/p>\n<p>As \u2064their \u200bfuture in\u200c the United States hangs in the balance, \u2062the Romeike family deserves our \u200bsupport and solidarity. Their fight is\u200b not just for themselves but for \u200dall families who seek to exercise their right \u2064to choose the education that is best for their children.<\/p>\n<p>We must<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>children in Germany, they faced persecution for their faith and educational choices. Seeking asylum in the US 15 years ago, they now face the unexpected demand to leave without explanation. The Romeikes remain in the dark about the reasons behind the US government&#8217;s decision, leaving them in a state of uncertainty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":2046956,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2046955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2046955"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046955\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2046956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2046955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2046955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2046955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}