Tennessee Christian Homeschooling Family Targeted For Deportation Granted Another Extension To Remain In U.S.

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The Tennessee Conservative Staff –

A Tennessee Christian homeschooling family that was at one time targeted for deportation by the Biden administration has been granted another year-long extension to remain in the United States.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has reported that the Romeike family met with Immigration and Customs Enforcement last Wednesday as the one-year extension granted to them in 2023 was set to expire.

In 2006, Uwe and Hannelore Romeike responded to God’s call to homeschool their children despite German law essentially outlawing the practice and were quickly met with resistance from German authorities. The family faced fines exceeding their income, had children forcibly removed from their home and taken to school, and were threatened with the possibility of their children being taken away permanently.

The family left the country, moving to Morristown in 2008. The HSLDA helped the family apply for asylum, and they were granted “indefinite deferred action status” in 2014.

In September 2023, despite having built a new life in East Tennessee over the previous decade, the Romeikes were told that their deferred status had been revoked without warning. They were instructed to apply for German passports, with only four weeks to leave the U.S.

A return to Germany would likely have resulted in the parents facing criminal charges.

After pushback from the public and HSLDA Director Kevin Boden, the family was given a one-year extension, deferring any action until October 2024.

Now, ICE has given the family another extension, allowing them to remain in the country for another year.

In a press release, Boden stated, “We are celebrating this good news and rejoicing with the Romeikes that they can continue to live together in freedom with their whole family and community in Tennessee. “

According to an ICE spokesperson, the Romeike’s situation “does not meet current enforcement priorities. Accordingly, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) has approved a one-year order of supervision for the Romeike family.”

That focus should instead be placed on the millions of illegal aliens who continue to cross U.S. borders with little to no desire to follow proper procedures for obtaining legal status.

The HSLDA says they will “continue to work with members of Congress and others to advocate on their behalf for a just and permanent solution, so that the family does not face this risk each year.”