German family in Tennessee faces deportation. Everything we know about the case

A German family that immigrated to East Tennessee to home-school their children is at risk of deportation from the United States, stoking controversy among home-school advocates and conservatives.

More than 50,000 supporters have signed a petition asking the Biden administration to change the family’s legal status so the Romeike family can remain.

Here’s what we know about their story.

The Romeikes left Germany in 2008 to home-school their children

In 2006, Uwe Romeike and his wife, Hannelore Romeike, began home-schooling their children in Germany because of their evangelical Christian faith. Because home-schooling is not permitted for religious reasons, they were fined and their children were made to attend public schools.

Update:45 TN lawmakers intervene on behalf of German homeschooling family facing deportation

In order to home-school their five children, the Romeikes moved to Tennessee in August 2008 and settled in Morristown, between Johnson City and Knoxville. They have had two children born in America, both of whom are American citizens as a result.

A judge initially granted their asylum, but it was denied on appeal

In January 2010, Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman approved the Romeikes' application for asylum, saying that the “family has a well-founded fear of persecution” by the German government for home-schooling.

According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, asylum may be granted to "people who have been persecuted or fear they will be persecuted on account of race, religion, nationality, and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion."

The U.S. Department of Justice appealed the decision. The U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals revoked the family’s asylum status in May 2012 and issued a final order for their removal.

The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) represented the Romeike family at their appeal to the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-judge panel ruled unanimously against the family, writing that they failed to show that Germany's enforcement of its school attendance law “amounts to persecution against them.”

The Supreme Court denied rehearing the Romeikes’ appeal.

How many people are granted asylum?

According to Syracuse University, nearly 2 million people applied for asylum in the U.S. from 2001 through 2022. Just over 600,000 were granted asylum in that time period, according to Homeland Security. From 2013 to 2022, about 15,000 people from Europe were granted asylum. None of those appear to be from Germany. Asia has had the most people granted asylum in the United States with nearly 120,000 people from 2013 through 2022.

Homeland Security let the Romeikes stay despite lacking asylum status

According to HSLDA, the family has been allowed to stay by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under order of supervision and indefinite deferred action status.

Deferred action is “a discretionary determination to defer a deportation of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion,” according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Deferred action does not confer lawful status on an individual, and Homeland Security “is permitted to terminate or renew a grant of deferred action at any time based at its discretion.”

Romeikes say they were told in September they have four weeks to leave

The Romeike family says that they were told during a “routine check-in” on Sept. 6 that they had four weeks to secure passports to return to Germany. Since then, their story has circulated through local media and has been picked up by a few national outlets, including conservative-leaning outlets like Fox News and the Washington Times.

Thousands have signed a petition to “Stand with the Romeikes”

Since they were told they would have to leave, the HSLDA has set up a petition that has received just over 56,000 signatures as of publication.

The petition says it is addressed to the Biden administration, which it asks to reinstate the Romeikes’ deferred status and save them from deportation.

Congress is even considering a bill to make them permanent residents

Congress is considering a bill that would grant the Romeikes permanent status as legal residents, with a possible pathway to citizenship. U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., filed the bill on Sept. 12, and it is being reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee.

Here’s what ICE had to say about the case

When asked by The Tennessean to provide comment and answer several questions about the Romeikes’ case, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement responded with the following statement:

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). ERO reviews each case as appropriate.”

What else we know about the family

According to HSLDA, Uwe Romeike, patriarch of the family, is a piano accompanist at Carson-Newman University.

There are seven Romeike children, two of whom are married to American citizens, according to HSLDA.

One of the children, Lydia Romeike, is married to reality TV personality Trace Bates of TLC’s “United Bates of America” and UPtv’s “Bringing Up Bates,” which focuses on the lives of Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children in Knoxville. Both shows have since been canceled.

Trace Bates was photographed with his brother in crowds at pro-Trump protests in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. Trace’s brother Lawson Bates said on social media that the two attended a pro-Trump event in Washington's Ellipse Park but were not part of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to reporting by the Los Angeles Times.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins.