South Lake Today

Washington, D.C. — Florida Congressman Daniel Webster, R-Clermont, has joined forces with U.S. Representative Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and 30 other House colleagues to advocate for asylum status to be granted to the Romeike family. In a letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the lawmakers expressed their concerns regarding the family's potential deportation back to Germany.

"To force this refugee family to suddenly return to Germany, with a government that once forcibly removed their children from their home simply for observing their deeply held religious beliefs, is immoral and indefensible," emphasized Webster and his fellow members of Congress. "We, the undersigned members of Congress, respectfully ask that you use this power given to you by Congress to grant the Romeike family asylum."

The full text of the letter can be accessed here.

Background: Congressman Webster, widely recognized as the father of homeschooling in Florida and a nationwide advocate, first became aware of the Romeike family's case over a decade ago when they sought asylum in the United States to escape the German government's ban on homeschooling. In 2013, following a letter request from Webster, then-Attorney General Eric Holder granted the Romeikes "indefinitely deferred action status," allowing them to reside and work in the United States. However, the family now faces the possibility of deportation to Germany under the Biden Administration, even as they strive to obtain full green card status.

The letter to Garland and Mayorkas was co-signed by Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA), Mary Miller (R-IL), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Glenn "GT" Thompson (R-PA), Josh Brecheen (R-OK), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Bill Posey (R-FL), Michael Guest (R-MS), Randy Weber (R-TX), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Barry Moore (R-AL), Rudy Yakym (R-IN), H. Morgan Griffith (R-VA), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL), Eric A. Rick Crawford (R-AR), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Richard Hudson (R-NC), John Rose (R-TN), Mark Green, M.D. (R-TN), Mike Ezell (R-MS), David Kustoff (R-TN), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Scott DesJarlais, M.D. (R-TN), and James R. Baird (R-IN).

For more information, please visit the official website of Congressman Daniel Webster.