Uwe and Hannelore Romeike fled Germany in 2006 over the family’s decision to home school their children. Homeschooling is banned in Germany, after school attendance was made mandatory in 1918, and homeschooling was finally banned outright by Hitler in 1938.
Uwe and Hannelore Romeike now live in Tennessee with their six children, and have been seeking political asylum. They argue that their right to choose the type of education they want for their children is not respected in Germany.
German home schoolers face significant fines, and even risk their children being taken into care.
The Romeike’s were initially granted asylum status in 2010, but the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement appealed the decision with the Board of Immigration Appeals. The Board overturned their asylum status.
The family now plan to fight the Board’s decision in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear the case on April 23.
The attorney for the family believe they have a strong case, arguing that a parents right to choose the form of education for their children is granted in Article 26, section 3 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights which reads: “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”