Thread: U.S. Appeals Court Denies Asylum to German Homeschool Family

Thursday, 16 May 2013 12:15 U.S. Appeals Court Denies Asylum to German Homeschool Family

Written by Dave Bohon







A German homeschool family that has been battling to remain in the United States because of religious persecution in their homeland has lost a major court battle. On May 14, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2012 decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals denying a request by Uwe and Hannalore Romeike to remain in the United States with their six children.
The Romeikes fled to the United States in 2008 following several years of fines and harassment from the German government because of their insistence on educating their children at home. In 2010, U.S. Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman ruled that the Romeike family could remain in the United States, citing Germany's record of persecuting homeschool families, as well as the Romeikes' religious motivation in wishing to keep their children out of Germany's aggressively secular schools.
Since then the Obama administration's Department of Justice has taken a particular interest in targeting the Romeikes for deportation, succeeding last year in convincing the immigration appeals board to overturn Judge Burman's initial ruling in favor of asylum for the family. The Romeikes have been represented by the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) whose president, Michael Farris, expressed his disappointment over the Court of Appeals' ruling. “We believe the Sixth Circuit is wrong and we will appeal their decision,” Farris said in a statement. “America has room for this family and we will do everything we can to help them.”
In its ruling the Appeal Court rejected the argument that the Romeikes represented a persecuted group because of their plight at the hands of a German government, which has instituted laws aggressively vindictive against homeschool families. “There is a difference between the persecution of a discrete group and the prosecution of those who violate a generally applicable law,” wrote Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton in his opinion for the court. “As the Board of Immigration Appeals permissibly found, the German authorities have not singled out the Romeikes in particular or homeschoolers in general for persecution. As a result, we must deny the Romeikes' petition for review and, with it, their applications for asylum.”
In his opinion Sutton wrote that the United States has not “opened its doors to every victim of unfair treatment, treatment that our laws do not allow. That the United States Constitution protects the rights of 'parents and guardians to direct the upbringing and education of children under their control' does not mean that a contrary law in another country establishes persecution on religious or any other protected ground.” He referred to an earlier opinion by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to point out that “the concept of persecution does not encompass all treatment that our society regards as unfair, unjust, or even unlawful or unconstitutional. If persecution were defined that expansively, a significant percentage of the world's population would qualify for asylum in this country — and it seems most unlikely that Congress intended such as a result.”
HSLDA has been monitoring the aggressive attack against German homeschool families since 2006. As the group announced that it would appeal the ruling against the Romeike family, the HSLDA's director of international affairs, Mike Donnelly, confirmed that “Germany continues to persecute homeschoolers. The court ignored mountains of evidence that homeschoolers are harshly fined and that custody of their children is gravely threatened — something most people would call persecution. This is what the Romeikes will suffer if they are sent back to Germany.”
Meanwhile, the HSLDA has launched a petition drive asking the Obama administration to grant the asylum the Romeike family is seeking. While the petition has surpassed the 100,000 signatures required for an official response, the White House has thus far refused to offer a statement.
The HSLDA's Michael Farris said that as his group continues to battle in the courts on behalf of the Romeikes, “there is no doubt of the ability of the Obama Administration to use its discretion to immediately grant this family permanent asylum. We urge the Administration to do so at once. If our Administration is willing to explore a policy of leniency for millions of immigrants, it is simply inexplicable why they cannot find room for one homeschooling family from Germany.”

http://thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/15419-u-s-appeals-court-denies-asylum-to-german-homeschool-family

We freely give 'asylum' to islamic terrorists, but not to a Christian family that simply wants to keep their kids out of the brainwash factory of government schools. Shameful.

The Real Reason Why Obama Won't Help Romeike Homeschool Family

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Gary DeMar

Why are the Democrats and President Obama pushing so hard to legalize tens of millions of illegal aliens and at the same time want to send back the German homeschool family back to Germany to face possible imprisonment and the loss of their children?

“The Romeike family, who are evangelical Christians, have made headlines with their years-long struggle to homeschool their children.
“After fleeing Germany and arriving in the U.S. in 2008, the family had hoped to practice their faith and educate their children freely, but the U.S. government decided to deport Uwe and Hannelore Romeike and their six children.”

In order to understand the seeming contradiction, we need to think like liberals. What is the political payoff in supporting amnesty for illegals but denying asylum for the Romeike family because they homeschool?

Amnesty creates tens of millions of immediate Democrat voters. That’s the first political payoff. Consider that when Ronald Regan ran for president, he won California in 1980 and 1984. Today, California is dominated by leftist Democrats and outright socialists. What happened? Amnesty.

“[In] 1986, Ronald Reagan signed a sweeping immigration reform bill into law. It was sold as a crackdown: There would be tighter security at the Mexican border, and employers would face strict penalties for hiring undocumented workers.

“But the bill also made any immigrant who’d entered the country before 1982 eligible for amnesty — a word not usually associated with the father of modern conservatism.”

Democrats either lie about what a law will do or they don’t follow it or both. It’s that simple.

If the Romeike family, with their six children, are sent back to Germany, they could lose their children to a Nazi-era law that is enforced with rigor and no compromise. Liberals like it when the State clamps down on individuality and independence.

A German court ordered four homeschooled children to be removed at gunpoint over homeschooling and will not let the family move to another European country where homeschooling is legal. “The Court had awarded social workers legal custody over the children in 2012, then, in August 2013, a different judge authorized the armed raid to seize the children.”

The latest ruling by a German court is that homeschooling poses “a ‘concrete endangerment’ to the children. . . . even though the Wunderlich children were academically proficient, well-adjusted socially and without educational deficiencies.”

What the court was actually saying is that any education that is not controlled by the State cannot be permitted.

One would think that Obama and the DOJ would be sympathetic to the plights of these two families.

There is no political capital to be gained since Obama and the Democrats agree with the ruling of the German courts. Obama and Co. would tick off the teacher unions and the public (government) school machine if he agreed with the arguments of the German homeschooling families.
With a graduation rate here in the United States is around 65 percent, falling test scores, and semi-literate graduates, one would think that any successful program would appeal to politicians. Not when it comes to power, politics, and money.

Read more at http://godfatherpolitics.com/14453/r...83FySIuxQdI.99

PTL! Homeland Security Lets Romeike Family Stay in US Indefinitely

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Dave Jolly


Your prayers have been answered! When all seemed lost and hopeless for the Romeike family and it seemed that they were facing certain deportation back to Germany, a miracle happened.
Yesterday I wrote about the US Supreme Court refusing to hear the Romeike family appeal and posted it early this morning. That meant that all of the legal options to fight deportation had been exhausted. US Attorney General Eric Holder had won his battle against this Christian homeschooling family and they were facing the nightmare and persecution waiting for them back in Germany. Once deported, they would be faced with sending their kids to public school which is as bad and socialist as our own public schools, or lose custody of their kids to the German state. Neither option was palatable to the Romeike family.

I quoted the latest update from Michael Farris of the Home School Legal Defense Association that appeared on their website. It was brought to my attention this morning, after my article posted, that Farris posted the following miraculous news:

“The Department of Homeland Security verbally informed Home School Legal Defense Association that the Romeike family is being granted indefinite deferred action status. The Department told HSLDA that this meant the order of removal would not be acted on and that the Romeikes could stay.”
“HSLDA Chairman Michael Farris was thrilled.”
“‘This is an incredible victory that I can only credit to Almighty God. I also want to thank those who spoke up on this issue—including that long ago White House petition. We believe that the public outcry made a huge impact. What an amazing turnaround—in just 24 hours,’ he said…”
“Uwe Romeike said he is extremely grateful for the support and welcome he has received from America.”
“‘We are happy to have indefinite status even though we won’t be able to get American citizenship any time soon. As long as we can live at peace here, we are happy. We have always been ready to go wherever the Lord would lead us—and I know my citizenship isn’t really on earth. This has always been about our children. I wouldn’t have minded staying in Germany if the mistreatment targeted only me—but our whole family was targeted when German authorities would not tolerate our decision to teach our children—that is what brought us here,’ he said.”

“‘Our entire family is deeply grateful for all the support of our friends and fellow homeschoolers and especially HSLDA. I thank God for his hand of blessing and protection over our family. We thank the American government for allowing us to stay here and to peacefully homeschool our children—it’s all we ever wanted…’”
“Farris said there is no way he would have let the family go back to Germany.”
“‘When we lost at the Sixth Circuit, I told Uwe that he would go back to Germany over my dead body. I’m glad that wasn’t necessary! This is a courageous family and one that deserves to stay here. They are modern day Pilgrims.’”

There was no doubt that Eric Holder was licking his lips and salivating over his victory to rid America of a Christian homeschooling family. Chances are he was already penning the orders to send the Romeike family back to certain persecution. Considering the fact that the Department of Homeland Security, next to the Justice Department is the most liberal anti-Christian department in the Obama administration, their granting of an indefinite stay for the Romeike family is truly a miracle from God. What the Romeike family has gone through over the past few years reminds me of Matthew 5:10, when Jesus said:

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

He heard our combined prayers and intervened on behalf of the Romeike family, demonstrating what Jesus said in Matthew 18:19-20:

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

Read more at http://godfatherpolitics.com/14628/p...oKIrufBQEs8.99

Why Did Obama Back off from Romeike Family Homeschooling Case?

Posted on March 6, 2014 by Gary DeMar

Everything Obama and Co. does is to grow the State and give it more control and power over our lives.

So why would Homeland Security and later the Justice Department decide not to deport the Romeike family after pursuing the deportation order through the courts where it ended up at the Supreme Court with the nation’s highest court letting the lower court ruling stand?

“The Romeikes were initially given asylum, but the Obama administration objected – claiming that German laws that outlaw homeschooling do not constitute persecution. . . . Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear the Romeike’s appeal – paving the way for the Christian family of eight to be deported.”

Then the news came out that a supervisor with the Department of Homeland Security called the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) legal team to inform the organization that the Romeike family had been granted ‘indefinite deferred status.’” This means, HSLDA chairman Michael Farris said, “the Romeikes can stay in the United States permanently (unless they are convicted of a crime, etc.).” (For the best legal analysis of the case, see “Attorney General Holder v. the Statue of Liberty: The Romeike Homeschooling Case” by Dr. Virginia Armstrong.)

We’re all thankful for the outcome, but what legal land mines have been buried through this process?

The legal groundwork for denial of the family is still on the books. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama administration argued that there is no fundamental right to homeschool. If this is true, then homeschooling families in the United States are in jeopardy. Given the argument of this administration, homeschooling is allowed at the discretion of the State.

Michael Farris comments on how Holder and the DOJ attorneys have twisted what it means to be free:
“The U.S. Attorney General has said this about homeschooling. There is no fundamental liberty to homeschool. So long as a government bans homeschooling broadly and equally, there is no violation of your rights. This is a view which gives some acknowledgement to the principle of equal protection but which entirely jettisons the concept of fundamental liberties.”

If everybody is prohibited from homeschooling, then no one’s individual rights have been violated. This is Obama-leftist-logic at its most refined.
So the “there is no fundamental right to determine the education of one’s children” is in the legal pipeline. It's on the shelf for the next attempt for somebody to say no to the Leviathan State.

Obama and Co. saw an ideological war brewing among conservatives and Tea Party types. Those supporting the Romeike family were talking about civil disobedience in defiance of a government that denied a single homeschooling family amnesty for long-standing constitutional reasons while pushing for amnesty for 20 to 30 million illegal aliens was a direct attack on conservatives. It was, "we'll show you who's in charge when you defy us."
The Democrats do not need this headache in an election year.

In addition, Obama and Co. come out looking like the good guys by issuing the directive to permit amnesty, a directive that could be taken away at any time after the election if Germany and American "Progressives" make a fuss.

Here’s how one person put it:
“So this administration gets the law they want, and they get to come out looking like the kind and merciful savior. I think the administration is hoping that we'll all clap and cheer, and thank Obama for his kindness, and then move on, forgetting about the incredible violation of parental rights they made by pursing this case in the first place. We definitely need to not become complacent over this latest announcement!”

I couldn’t agree more.

Read more at http://godfatherpolitics.com/14634/o...jBMiAzAfPiJ.99

I couldn't agree more either!!!!