Christian Homeschool Family Threatened with Deportation

A German family that fled to the United States over 15 years ago after being fined thousands for homeschooling their children may be deported within the next few weeks, the advocacy group representing them says.

The Home School Legal Defense Association says the the devout Christian Romeike, who came to the United States in 2008 on visas and lives in Tennessee, was told by their local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office on Sept. 6 that they have four weeks to leave the country.

The Romeike family garnered national headlines when they requested asylum status because they wanted to homeschool their children for religious reasons. Homeschooling is banned in Germany under nearly all circumstances, and any parents who refuse to send their children to school can face fines, imprisonment or even lose custody of their children.

Over the last decade, the family has regularly reported to their local ICE office and has been allowed to work and homeschool their children.

ICE’s decision to deport the family reportedly was announced during a routine check-in and came as a surprise to the couple and their seven children, two of whom are now adults and married. (Excerpt from The Christian Post.)