In the last three years, the Biden-Harris administration has allowed millions of illegal immigrants to come across the U.S. southern border. The majority of them are unskilled and under-educated. Many of them come here with a willingness to work, but just as many do not. But what about legal immigrants to this country who did things the right way? What about those who really have sought refuge for themselves and their families so that they might have a better life? Let me introduce you to the Romeike family.
I have covered the plight of the Romeike family for several years and what they have endured at the hands of the federal government, all because they wanted to come here to homeschool their children. Their experience can’t possibly be what they thought they would find when they came to America. The latest in this ongoing saga is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has extended their stay in the U.S. for another year. But let’s go back to the beginning of the Romeike’s nightmare with the federal government.
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike are devout Christians. In 2006, they felt called by God to homeschool their then-five children. The problem: homeschooling is illegal in their native Germany. While Germany has made human rights agreements regarding homeschooling in recent years, the punishments for homeschooling can range from fines and imprisonment to removal of children from the home of parents who will not comply with the law. The Romeikes decided to come to the United States. A homeschooling advocacy group called the Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) helped them apply for asylum.
In 2010, they were granted asylum, but in 2012, that asylum was overturned by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals. After another two years of legal wrangling to reinstate asylum, in March of 2014, they were granted “indefinite deferred action status.” This might sound like the government kicking the can down the road as far as their immigration status is concerned, but it meant that they could live a normal life, allowing them to get a driver’s license, work, rent or own property, and pay taxes. Apparently, the government was satisfied with this arrangement because they left the Romeikes alone for ten years. In that time, the Romeikes settled into life in a small town in Eastern Tennessee and became responsible members of their community.
In September of 2023, without any prior warning or explanation, the Romeikes were told there had been a “change of orders,” and they had four weeks to secure passports to begin self-deportation. One more problem: the Romeikes have had two more children while in the U.S. who are American citizens. Wait, I thought that was okay for immigrants. It must depend on what kind of “immigrant” you are.
A petition was started to ask the Biden administration to reinstate the deferred action status. The petition got more than 100,000 signatures. In addition, a letter signed by 45 Tennessee lawmakers in September was sent to ICE asking for reconsideration of the Romeike’s immigration status and impending deportation. Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) has also introduced private legislation to grant the Romeike family permanent residency.
This brings us to just recently, when, as stated above, ICE extended the Romeike’s permission to remain in the U.S. for another year. Why has this family been treated this way by the federal government? Was their first mistake coming to America under the Obama administration? We know how the Biden-Harris administration feels about Christians and religious freedom, so maybe the Romeikes are just not the right kind of immigrants for them.
America is supposed to be the place where people like the Romeikes can come to raise and educate their children the way they wish. They are the immigrants who want to become Americans. That is the way it is supposed to be. My hope is that my next update to this story will be to report that Congresswoman Harshbarger’s legislation has passed, and the Romeikes will truly be able to call America home.
