Political asylum in the United states is usually granted when a person feels he or she may be persecuted or have a well-founded fear of imminent persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. We think of political asylum being granted to avoid torture, imprisonment, physical harm. We do not, as Americans, think of giving political asylum to avoid going to private or public school.
A Tennessee judge has granted asylum to a German couple and their children so the couple may home school their children. German is one of the few European countries that enforces compulsory attendance in a recognized school. According to Yahoo News:
The Romeikes are not your typical asylum seekers. They did not come to the U.S. to flee war or despotism in their native land. No, these music teachers left Germany because they didn’t like what their children were learning in public school – and because homeschooling is illegal there.
“It’s our fundamental rightto decide how we want to teach our children,” says Uwe Romeike, an Evangelical Christian and a concert pianist who sold his treasured Steinway to help pay for the move.
Romeike decided to uproot his family in 2008 after he and his wife had accrued about $10,000 in fines for homeschooling their three oldest children and police had turned up at their doorstep and escorted them to school. “My kids were crying, but nobody seemed to care,” Romeike says of the incident
There must not be the concept of rule of law in Germany. If this family doesn’t like the laws of their country, they need to change the law, apply for a variance, or relocate in another country. Applying for political asylum over home schooling is absurd and not what our system of allowing political asylum-seekers was intended for. Compulsory school has been mandatory since 1917 in Germany.
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike, together with their five children age 2 to 12, are now living in Morristown, TN, after a federal immigration judge in Memphis approved their asylum application on Jan. 26.
The judge, Lawrence O. Burman, believed the family’s arguments that they would be prosecuted in Germany for home-schooling, penalized with heavy fines and the government would take custody of their children.
In the last century, many people attempted to leave Germany and Europe in general. Thinking of the thousands of Jews who attempted to obtain political asylum ane were denied, and who lost their lives in the most horrific fashion makes this political move obscene. Some of those people would have gladly sent their children to school in exchange for almost anything. Many of their children’s schools became places of horror like Auschwitz.
Yahoo News goes on to explain that this unprecedented move by the judge opens the flood gates for other such motions. The federal government will intervene.
The ruling is tricky politically for Washington and its allies in Europe, where several countries – including Spainand the Netherlands – allow homeschooling only under exceptional circumstances, such as when a child is extremely ill. That helps explain why in late February, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement formally appealed the Romeike ruling, which was issued by an immigration judge in Memphis, Tenn. His unprecedented decision has raised concerns that the already heavily backlogged immigration courts will be flooded with asylum petitions from homeschoolers in countries typically regarded as having nonrepressive governments
What is the chance these people will be deported? Should U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement overlook this family or in the sake of fairness, seek to have the ruling overturned? Why should political asylum be granted?
12 Thoughts to “Political Asylum for Home-School Family from Germany”
Asylum to stay in the US to homeschool. Puh-lease! These homescoolers need to go through the usual immigration process. I sure hope this doesn’t be come a regular practice. Anyone can claim they want to immigrate to this country to homeschool. I seriously doubt ICE will be following up to make sure this family homeschools. I wonder if anyone in Germany ever asked them “What part of illegal don’t you understand?”..;)
Homeschooling does seem like it would open the floodgates for political asylum cases. I think they should rethink that case before they get 10,000 more just like it.
But the stranger question is why Germany wouldn’t allow homeschooling? The propaganda spouted in German school curriculum in the 30’s and 40’s should be reason enough for the citizenry to demand that homeschooling be allowed under set circumstances. They have shown in the past that schools were just an arm of the prevailing government party. They can set up laws if they are worried about parent qualification, but to not allow it all, especially with their history, seems like their fascist roots are showing.
Apparently it as under the third reich that compulsory education was demanded in the most strictest of terms. Families, at least from this article, are Christian and have taken issue with the teaching of sex ed,evolution, and other areas within the public school system. Although I do believe, given specific guidelines that must be followed, home schooling should be allowed, not being allowed to home school does not fall under the guise of persecution. Being taught sex ed or evolution is not a standard that rises to the level of persecution and therefore falls under asylum!
Whats interesting is that the ability for parents to set education goals for their kids and allow religious schools or homeschooling is what set in motion the ability for women to have abortions. Pierce v. Society of Sisters broadened the 14th amendment and allowed for both.
The reason I bring that up is anytime homeschooling is mentioned people want to regulate it or provide ‘specific guidelines’ as thought it somehow ‘hurts’ either children or public schools in general. That thinking just doesn’t compute with me.
If the arguement is made that public school has to be secular (seperation of establishing a religion and the State) then would it not make sense that those that want religious instruction should be able then to do so especially if they assume the financial responsibility for it?
We could swing the other way and then say that public schools have to offer ALL religious education and really muck up the system..
Elena, I agree. The German law seems too rigid but I don’t think having to send you kid to a recognized school qualifies anyone for political asylum. I believe the Tennessee judge was dead wrong and made a decision that was unfair to all immigrants world-wide who want to come to the United States.
The German home schoolers need to go back to their country of origin and get in line like everyone else is having to do. Our judge needs to follow rule of law. we also don’t seem to have a national need for music teachers. These people selfishly butt in line. There are other European countries where they could live that do allow home schooling.
Moon-howler :
The German home schoolers need to go back to their country of origin and get in line like everyone else is having to do. Our judge needs to follow rule of law. we also don’t seem to have a national need for music teachers. These people selfishly but in line. There are other European countries where they could live that do allow home schooling.
Everybody save that quote for the next time Amnesty for illegals comes up. No butting in line! Follow the rule of law! They should go to other countries more ethnically similar to where they are from.
I thought you guys were pro-Amnesty. If we can legalize 12 million day laborers from Central America, we can handle 2 teachers from Germany.
Visitor, where on earth do you think I got those words? I took them right from nativists’ mouths, intentionally.
I am for a reformed immigration system that isn’t 25 years old, that fits the needs of our country. I would hardly say that is pro-amnesty. Amnesty is turning the other cheek.
Most people here are probably best not stereotyped. We all have different beliefs about different things.
Hi visitor,
I don’t believe anyone here has every suggested there be some blanket Amnesty like Reagan. For me, I believe in a pathway to earned citizenship, along with some form of penalty. At a bare minimum, the Dream Act is something we should all support.
The family, for whatever reason, believed that the German “approved” schools were not, would not, and could not provide their children with what they considered an adequate education. They chose to home-school instead but with Germany’s requirement that all children attend an officially sanctioned school, they faced fines, imprisonment, and having their children forcibly removed from their home and placed in the care of the government.
The family chose to move to a country that allows home-schooling. They chose the US and, rather than wait in the interminable lines for immigration, fearing that their children might be taken from them at any time, they applied for and were granted asylum.
Moon howler – you said that, in your opinion, asylum was for a “well-founded fear of imminent persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” That the persecution would take the form of “torture, imprisonment, physical harm.” I can think of no greater threat a government could extend to me than to threaten my children. This family honestly believes that attending public school in Germany will be harmful to their children – that it threatens their children.
Imagine if the “approved” schools here taught some sort of racist ideology as fact (remember that compulsory education was one of the techniques used by the Nazi’s to indoctrinate a generation of children to hate). Imagine if you had to send your children to an “approved” school whether you agreed with that ideology or not and if you didn’t send your kids to that school then you could be declared unfit and your kids would be removed from your home. Would you be willing to sit in line for what could be years waiting for your chance to escape knowing that each year that passed meant exposing your children to ideologies you thought were harmful and wrong, or would you try to find another way our for you and your family?
I’m not so sure I’d be willing to wait in line if I felt waiting in that line would hurt my children.
Welcome Kim S. You make some interesting points. I suppose I fault our country more than I do the family. When I consider the people who have applied and who have not been granted asylum and when I know families today who could be split apart because of our immigration laws, I simply do not feel this family qualifies. There are other places they can go.
I don’t believe Nazism is being taught in German schools today. Perhaps something that the family considers equally offensive is being taught. That still has no bearing on our laws.
Thanks for the welcome – and congratulations on the new site!
I’d agree that our laws are the greater concern. Like you I think the entire immigration process in this country needs to be tossed and re-done because it clearly isn’t working.
To me our country has always been a beacon of hope for those in need, and I see this family as in need. For whatever reason they felt that the program of study followed in the government approved schools in their country would hurt their children, but, because of compulsory public education laws in their country, choosing to home-school would result in the mother and father being jailed and the children forcibly removed from the home.
So they applied for a received asylum from an immigration judge in the US. They followed the law. I haven’t read the judge’s brief so I don’t know what legal precedent he / she followed in issuing his / her ruling, but the family, in filing for asylum, followed US law. Asylum is an option for anyone seeking to enter this country, provided they meet certain “things”. The judge ruled that the family met those “things”. Whether that ruling was consistent with established law or his / her previous rulings is another issue in itself, and I’d have to do much more research to be able to discuss that.
Asylum to stay in the US to homeschool. Puh-lease! These homescoolers need to go through the usual immigration process. I sure hope this doesn’t be come a regular practice. Anyone can claim they want to immigrate to this country to homeschool. I seriously doubt ICE will be following up to make sure this family homeschools. I wonder if anyone in Germany ever asked them “What part of illegal don’t you understand?”..;)
This ruling needs to be appealed and overturned.
I believe that it is simply going to be overturned. Home schooling is not a valid reason for political asylum.
Homeschooling does seem like it would open the floodgates for political asylum cases. I think they should rethink that case before they get 10,000 more just like it.
But the stranger question is why Germany wouldn’t allow homeschooling? The propaganda spouted in German school curriculum in the 30’s and 40’s should be reason enough for the citizenry to demand that homeschooling be allowed under set circumstances. They have shown in the past that schools were just an arm of the prevailing government party. They can set up laws if they are worried about parent qualification, but to not allow it all, especially with their history, seems like their fascist roots are showing.
I found this very interesting article http://www.thh-friedensau.de/dozentenseiten/spiegler/030_Publikationen/erie.pdf
Apparently it as under the third reich that compulsory education was demanded in the most strictest of terms. Families, at least from this article, are Christian and have taken issue with the teaching of sex ed,evolution, and other areas within the public school system. Although I do believe, given specific guidelines that must be followed, home schooling should be allowed, not being allowed to home school does not fall under the guise of persecution. Being taught sex ed or evolution is not a standard that rises to the level of persecution and therefore falls under asylum!
Whats interesting is that the ability for parents to set education goals for their kids and allow religious schools or homeschooling is what set in motion the ability for women to have abortions. Pierce v. Society of Sisters broadened the 14th amendment and allowed for both.
The reason I bring that up is anytime homeschooling is mentioned people want to regulate it or provide ‘specific guidelines’ as thought it somehow ‘hurts’ either children or public schools in general. That thinking just doesn’t compute with me.
If the arguement is made that public school has to be secular (seperation of establishing a religion and the State) then would it not make sense that those that want religious instruction should be able then to do so especially if they assume the financial responsibility for it?
We could swing the other way and then say that public schools have to offer ALL religious education and really muck up the system..
Elena, I agree. The German law seems too rigid but I don’t think having to send you kid to a recognized school qualifies anyone for political asylum. I believe the Tennessee judge was dead wrong and made a decision that was unfair to all immigrants world-wide who want to come to the United States.
The German home schoolers need to go back to their country of origin and get in line like everyone else is having to do. Our judge needs to follow rule of law. we also don’t seem to have a national need for music teachers. These people selfishly butt in line. There are other European countries where they could live that do allow home schooling.
Everybody save that quote for the next time Amnesty for illegals comes up. No butting in line! Follow the rule of law! They should go to other countries more ethnically similar to where they are from.
I thought you guys were pro-Amnesty. If we can legalize 12 million day laborers from Central America, we can handle 2 teachers from Germany.
Visitor, where on earth do you think I got those words? I took them right from nativists’ mouths, intentionally.
I am for a reformed immigration system that isn’t 25 years old, that fits the needs of our country. I would hardly say that is pro-amnesty. Amnesty is turning the other cheek.
Most people here are probably best not stereotyped. We all have different beliefs about different things.
Hi visitor,
I don’t believe anyone here has every suggested there be some blanket Amnesty like Reagan. For me, I believe in a pathway to earned citizenship, along with some form of penalty. At a bare minimum, the Dream Act is something we should all support.
I guess I play devil’s advocate here.
The family, for whatever reason, believed that the German “approved” schools were not, would not, and could not provide their children with what they considered an adequate education. They chose to home-school instead but with Germany’s requirement that all children attend an officially sanctioned school, they faced fines, imprisonment, and having their children forcibly removed from their home and placed in the care of the government.
The family chose to move to a country that allows home-schooling. They chose the US and, rather than wait in the interminable lines for immigration, fearing that their children might be taken from them at any time, they applied for and were granted asylum.
Moon howler – you said that, in your opinion, asylum was for a “well-founded fear of imminent persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” That the persecution would take the form of “torture, imprisonment, physical harm.” I can think of no greater threat a government could extend to me than to threaten my children. This family honestly believes that attending public school in Germany will be harmful to their children – that it threatens their children.
Imagine if the “approved” schools here taught some sort of racist ideology as fact (remember that compulsory education was one of the techniques used by the Nazi’s to indoctrinate a generation of children to hate). Imagine if you had to send your children to an “approved” school whether you agreed with that ideology or not and if you didn’t send your kids to that school then you could be declared unfit and your kids would be removed from your home. Would you be willing to sit in line for what could be years waiting for your chance to escape knowing that each year that passed meant exposing your children to ideologies you thought were harmful and wrong, or would you try to find another way our for you and your family?
I’m not so sure I’d be willing to wait in line if I felt waiting in that line would hurt my children.
Welcome Kim S. You make some interesting points. I suppose I fault our country more than I do the family. When I consider the people who have applied and who have not been granted asylum and when I know families today who could be split apart because of our immigration laws, I simply do not feel this family qualifies. There are other places they can go.
I don’t believe Nazism is being taught in German schools today. Perhaps something that the family considers equally offensive is being taught. That still has no bearing on our laws.
Thanks for the welcome – and congratulations on the new site!
I’d agree that our laws are the greater concern. Like you I think the entire immigration process in this country needs to be tossed and re-done because it clearly isn’t working.
To me our country has always been a beacon of hope for those in need, and I see this family as in need. For whatever reason they felt that the program of study followed in the government approved schools in their country would hurt their children, but, because of compulsory public education laws in their country, choosing to home-school would result in the mother and father being jailed and the children forcibly removed from the home.
So they applied for a received asylum from an immigration judge in the US. They followed the law. I haven’t read the judge’s brief so I don’t know what legal precedent he / she followed in issuing his / her ruling, but the family, in filing for asylum, followed US law. Asylum is an option for anyone seeking to enter this country, provided they meet certain “things”. The judge ruled that the family met those “things”. Whether that ruling was consistent with established law or his / her previous rulings is another issue in itself, and I’d have to do much more research to be able to discuss that.