Because they were being persecuted and threatened for homeschooling their children in Germany, where it is illegal, in January 2010, the Romeike family was granted political asylum by U.S. Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman. Immediately, however, the Obama administration appealed the case. The following is an important update:
Focus on the Family spokesman and Truth Project founder Dr. Del Tackett [last week] declared his support for HSLDA’s (Home School Legal Defense Association) efforts to defend the Romeike family. Tackett believes that the U.S. government is siding with the restrictive homeschooling laws in Germany and that this could have serious implications for American homeschoolers.
“[The U.S. government] doesn’t believe that parents have a right to educate their children,” Tackett said. “It is more in line with the National Education Association that homeschooling shouldn’t be allowed. It believes that the government can best educate ‘America’s children.’ It doesn’t want another worldview taught in this country. It wants America’s children to have one worldview and one worldview only.”
In 2008, the Romeikes fled their home in Germany after facing fines and jail time and came to the U.S. seeking asylum, but now, the Obama Administration is opposing their quest for asylum by saying homeschooling is too vague and amorphous to be protected under asylum law. Their case is now set to be argued in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on April 23 by HSLDA Chairman Mike Farris.
In addition to representing the family in court, HSLDA has also launched a petition on WhiteHouse.gov calling on the Obama Administration to “grant full and permanent legal status to Uwe and Hannelore Romeike and their children.”
Tackett applauded the petition and urged people to sign it. “This will be the first time that I have advocated signing a petition, but I believe this is a critical issue, one that is being played out behind big media coverage and one that could put a deep chill in the rights of parents in this country to determine the educational direction of their children,” he said.
“We are appreciative of the support from Focus on the Family and encourage others to get behind these modern day Pilgrims who came to America to seek religious freedom for themselves and their children,” said Farris.
Please pray for this family as they seek freedom in the United States and for freedom of all homeschoolers in this country.
by Michael Farris, Jr., Breaking Christian News
