Posted on 03/05/2014 5:06:18 AM PST by Kaslin
In 2008 the Romeike family emigrated from Germany to the United States to escape religious persecution. Like so many American families, all they wanted to do was home school their children in accordance with their faith. But in Germany the practice is illegal, and has been for nearly a century. Thus the Romeikes relocated to the land of opportunity, hoping to raise their children in relative peace and solitude. But for the last six years or so they’ve been in and out of court, fighting to stay.
At first, they were granted political asylum by a U.S. judge who ruled in their favor; but that decision was quickly overturned after the Obama administration applied pressure to have them deported. ABC News reported this last May:
The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, however, ruled this week in favor of the Obama administration, which challenged the family's asylum on the grounds that Germany's ban on home-schooling did not constitute persecution and thus could not be used as a basis for political asylum in the United States.
"We are very disappointed in the decision by the Sixth Circuit to deny political asylum to the Romeike family who wants the freedom to home-school their children," said Michael Farris, the Romeike family's attorney and the chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association, in a statement emailed to ABC News.
"The decision of the court fails to even discuss the unchallenged evidence of Germany's motive in banning homeschooling. The German Supreme Court says that they want to suppress religious and philosophical minorities," the statement read.
The case was destined to make its way all the way up to the Supreme Court, or so it seemed. Until yesterday, that is, when the family learned that the High Court would not hear their appeal. All was lost. The Romeike family would be deported after all.
Until today, of course! Inexplicably, the Department of Homeland Security announced they could stay:
A German home-schooling family facing deportation following the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear their appeal is being allowed to stay in the U.S.
The Department of Homeland Security has granted the family “indefinite deferred status,” their attorney confirmed to Fox News.
That means the Romeike family, who claim the German government is persecuting them because they want to raise their children in accordance with their Christian beliefs, can stay in the United States without the threat of being forced return to their home country, the family’s legal team told Fox News.
This is a huge and unexpected victory for eight souls searching for religious freedom in a foreign land. Their prayers have finally been answered.
vote buying
I disagree
Thank the good Lord and His people, who were praying for this persecuted family. May He continue to hold them in the palm of His hand.
politicking....the regime just not wanting to have one more demerit with the public. their negatives far outweigh their positives and the midyears are going to wreck the Dhimmicrats in congress(hopefully)
It was not unexpected. In fact, bert, poor old Free Republic bert, predicted the result.
Any one with a brain should have been able to deduce from the facts presented that Obama, a pure political animal with no ability to act in any manner other than within very narrow political bounds, would save the day.
This is simply a temporary repreieve and can be rescinded by the feds at their whim, for example after the election.
Also, remember this is an election year. I expect the situation for this family will get bad again after the November elections.
This administration’s actions are ALWAYS suspect, but I’m happy to hear these fine people can stay here.
Then The Dept. of Homeland Security decided it was OK for them to stay.
The obama administration is part and parcel of every step in this affair, so it is the obama administration that has approved their stay.
I say the vote buying is the attempt to wash over the obama love for islamists by including a few more trees in the forest.
The Obama administration never cared one way or the other about this family per se and whether they stayed here or not.
It was all about establishing the legal point - that taking away the right to home school NOT be recognized as a type of oppression that could give rise to an asylum claim.
After all, the progressives would like for home schooling to be made completely illegal in this country. In their eyes, as in national socialist and communist regimes, children belong to the government, not the family, and the government should have exclusive right to indoctrinate all children into the government’s belief system.
OweBowMao save the day?
More likely he just read about it in yesterday’s paper.
It was Holder making Freeper’s, Meet the New Boss, point that home schooling is not a right or way to get asylum. He also wanted to stick it to Christians establishing the progressive idea that there is no persecution of Christians in the Western World.
Complete Reversal: Home-Schooling German Family Unexpectedly Allowed to Stay in U.S.
__________________
Until after the election
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.