this makes me SICK!! These poor people! There is NO REASON to not allow them to stay.. They meet ALL the requirements.. Something is VERY wrong here!
HSLDA says they're going to appeal again. Personally, if they're turned down, I think they should go into hiding. If they're illegal aliens, this country will welcome them with open arms :roll:.
From what I've heard, the family could have legally moved and worked in any country in the EU that welcomes homeschooling. They wouldn't have to return to persecution in Germany, but can move to a place like the UK and homeschool without having to jump through all the legal hoops of getting asylum in a country far from home.
OK, dumb question.. but *are* there countries in the EU that allow homeschooling. I have been under the impression that none do. Clearly, I could be wrong.
Here is information on work permits and ability to live in other countries (makes me wish I was European):
I would not want to be in their shoes. I personally don't see how they can meet the case for asylum since they have freedom to move and work in other countries in the EU where homeschooling is legal. In other words, they had plenty of options. I do wonder why they moved to Tennessee because it doesn't make sense to me. I know it is difficult to just move to any country and legally work. You have to meet certain requirements and jump through a lot of hoops if you are not a citizen. They had open doors to them in Europe and they chose to attempt a difficult one. Does anyone know why?
Why should they go to a European country instead of the United States? And would any of those countries accept them?
I had no idea they could move to another country that easily.. It's a better option than going back and having their kiddos taken from them.. I still think that they should be allowed to stay.. I wonder how often others are denied asylum..
I don't know the details, but it is my understanding most EU citizens can move to another EU country without much difficulty. It is built-in to their immigration laws. So I wouldn't know any reason why these countries wouldn't accept them. Ironically, dh and I were looking at immigration requirements for one country last night. Even though we didn't plan on working in the country, it would be extremely difficult to meet the eligibility requirements to move there. This is not some highly desirable place either. Some countries are difficult to immigrate to. My point is that why should they be granted asylum in the USA when they had plenty of "local" options? The USA turns away plenty of people with no other options, but this family had plenty of other options.
I don't consider another European country a "local" option. We are still not adopted the UN's "rights for children" or whatever it is. Sorry, I can't remember the formal title! I believe most European countries HAVE adopted it. This would be reason enough not to stay in Europe. We cannot make judgments on where these people want to go. I'm sure that if they chose to come here, there must be some very good reasons for doing so.
But those wouldn't be reasons for asylum. They may want to move to the US for many reasons that may be great reasons, but I don't think a desire to move here would qualify for asylum. The UN Rights of a Child - I'll start a thread on it. But in regards to this case, I'm not sure how it applies since Germany didn't change homeschooling laws as a result.
Sorry. I guess I completely missed that! Which country was it that the family was getting ready to board a plane to another (homeschool-friendly) country and the authorities yanked the kid away? They haven't seen him in a few years. I thought that was Switzerland, but if it's legal there...
Are you sure that is the same family? I believe they have all their kids with them and never lost custody.
It was Sweden where they were boarding a plane and the government came on and kidnapped the child. The family has recently been told that there's no chance of them ever getting their son back. Embassy, are you saying they should be denied asylum here because a country in Europe should take them? Why should they go to another European country? As I said, The U.N. Rights of the Child DOES apply. ANY country that has adopted it can have homeschooling declared as a violation of that treaty, and I believe most European countries have adopted it. That's why we're fighting it so strongly here.
Can you reference the story on the kidnapped child? I haven't read that anywhere. I did find a 2010 article for HLSDA that stated: This shows me that it wasn't a asylum case, but a political case. They knew they could go to other places in Europe, but they wanted more freedom in how they homeschooled. They had options, but chose the USA because they wanted to come here. I am unaware of any country that has outlawed homeschooling as a result of the UN Rights of the Child.