Posted on 05/14/2013 6:06:47 PM PDT by don-o
A U.S. appeals court sided with the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday and denied asylum for the Romeikes. They fled from Germany after they were threatened with the possibility of losing custody of their children when they decided to homeschool and refused to send their children to the German public schools.
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the Justice Department, in Romeike vs. Holder, that the freedom to homeschool one's children is not among the fundamental rights protected for asylum seekers. The Home School Legal Defense Association, which represented the Romeikes in the case, said it will appeal the decision.
"We believe the Sixth Circuit is wrong, and we will appeal their decision," said Michael Farris, HSLDA founder and chairman. "America has room for this family, and we will do everything we can to help them."
According to an HSLDA press release, the court recognized parents have the right to direct the education of their children under the U.S. Constitution, but also noted that asylum is not granted to every victim of unfair treatment.
"There is a difference between the persecution of a discrete group and the prosecution of those who violate a generally applicable law. 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," Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton wrote in the opinion for the court.
Mike Donnelly, HSLDA director of international affairs, contended that Germany is in fact persecuting 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," he stressed.
HSLDA also began a White House petition asking the administration to grant asylum for the Romeikes. In mid-April, the petition surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed for the White House to provide an official response. The White House has yet to provide that response.
The Romeikes – Uwe, Hannelore and their six children – chose to homeschool because they believed that the German public schools were teaching their children values that contradicted their evangelical Christian beliefs. They fled to the United States in 2008 after HSLDA helped them leave Germany.
They were first granted asylum by a U.S. District Court in 2010. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appealed that decision in 2012 and was supported by the Board of Immigration Appeals. The case then went to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Justice Department defended the Board of Immigration Appeals ruling, arguing, in part, that homeschooling is not a fundamental right.
Have them file for welfare, obamaphones, student loans, medicaid, section 8 housing, and go buy some pressure coookers. They are sure to stay.
They must not speak Spanish.
Their mistake was trying to go through legal channels. They should have flown to northern Mexico and simply walked into Texas.
Maybe this good family should change their last name to ‘Tsarnaev’, convert to Islam then buy some pressure cookers?
Only Muslims can apply for refugee status. Those who are planning the next attack.
The beast must be fed.
Todd Starnes - Fox Radio
Maybe they should have used a religious persecution argument....
Yeah, that would have worked. /s
I imagine they lost because they are white. It’s too bad.
Yep. # 1 NAILED it
Compare and contrast; rule of law for some, rule of congresspersons for others:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3019540/posts
You have 11 million illegal aliens here, what’s one family oh they’re not mexicans! White People have no place in America
The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave!
Holder is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.
God help this family, and God help America.
At work. No streaming.
It’s just an article
I hope they run. Let them disappear into the landscape. It’d be rich to watch the feds justify spending millions trying to track down a single family when they refuse to deport many others that operate openly.
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