A German homeschooling Christian family facing deportation after living in the United States for 15 years has been given a one-year stay of removal, according to the Home School Legal Defense Association.
Attorney Kevin Boden said in a statement, “I spoke personally with the ICE officer in Knoxville, who told me we can anticipate them signing the order of supervision out for another year. And while we are very grateful for this news, we are continuing to advocate for a long-term solution for the Romeike family to allow their permanent stay in the United States.”
The Romeike family, which has lived in Tennessee since 2008, was recently told that they would be deported back to Germany, where they fled due to that nation’s homeschooling ban.
The stay came fairly last minute, as the Romeike family reportedly was slated to be deported this week, according to an alert email from the Tennessee Independent Baptists for Religious Liberty.
The Baptist group noted that Rep. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee was sponsoring legislation aimed at granting the Romeikes “permanent residency status” to remain in the US.
In September, several Tennessee lawmakers signed a joint letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement saying that deporting the family would be “cruel and unnecessary.”
The Romeike family has dealt with years of legal battles in the U.S., as federal immigration officials argued that they did not meet the parameters to receive asylum.