Romeikes Remain

In a case closely watched by civil rights groups, the plight of a German homeschool family seeking asylum in the United States has ended—positively.1 German authorities had threatened to put the parents in jail and remove the children from their home since they would not enroll their children in government schools. So the Romeikes fled to America. The Justice Department wanted to deport the family to Germany, so the family appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Last March, the Supreme Court declined to hear their case. But one day later in a surprise development, a different government branch—the Department of Homeland Security—allowed this Christian family to remain in the USA.

Sadly, this case was decided at an administrative level, while the Justice Department’s position remains unchanged. It is doubtful that this administrative ruling will set any precedent for other homeschooling families.