RebeccatheWriter

I was unpacking some boxes from a not so recent move and it dawned on me. None of these fundies have many books. Sure there are tablet readers (I have mine) but I also have multiple bookcases and more books than could fit. Erin probably has the most and she turns them spine side back or confesses she buys based on color not content to decorate her children's rooms.

He had the Alyssa version of a party. He had a smash cake, photoshoot with a balloon arch and painted backdrop, and presents. John's parents and a few others came over for it. I thought it was lowkey until I saw the combined party for the girls was basically the same thing except with princess dresses instead of baseballs.

It was sad looking on that schedule. They had 15 minutes for eating? And that included praying? I hope that was a quick prayer. What happened to princess storytime or games? One ticket for a photo. One ticket for a balloon animal. Goodie bag and go home. I get that it is hard to find activities to include for a 3/4 year old to a 9 year old, but that's the reason you don't do one party for every single girl in the family. The girls were taken to shop for presents for Rhett that Alyssa specifically said she and John would fund. Did they each get a gift "from" their brother?

She was licensed as an agent and on the Bailey real estate site for a while. Before that, Mrs. Bailey (the co-owner) was featured on the show to take Kelly, Kelly's mom, and various random children househunting. Kelly greeted her like an old friend and pretended they had discussed this whole thing about Kelly's mom. However, clearly this was all new news to this woman. She was showing a woman in her late 70s early 80s and a disabled husband, homes that had no main floor bathroom and had all the bedrooms upstairs. My guess is that the show found her and the agency for a few stories.

I don't mean that they came up with it as much as she was probably saying she was interested in it or thinking about it and they ran with it. The dates don't quite add up. Apparently, she was filming stuff where she met her boss several months before she passed in real life. I don't remember, but I don't think she passed the broker-level test or even took it.

Whitney had a license at one point. However, according to public records it expired a few years ago. I think she only had it for a plot point on the show. She only had one listing at the firm where she was at and that never did sell.

Per the experts in immigration and education that I spoke to this week, the Romeikes are considered undocumented. Their petition for asylum didn't fall in their favor. Deferment doesn't mean they are magically legally able to become citizens. It is a term to refer to a delayed decision to deport. They still fall into the broader undocumented category that isn't just inclusive of one kind of situation. Their deferred status only means that since that status started they did not accrue, if you will, additional violations.

So I think Daniel Webster has been called. However, if he has intentions of running again (haven't heard he is retiring yet), he's probably hesitant. Florida is extremely anti-immigrant at the moment. While he loves some homeschool legislation, he's probably hesitant to take this on without opening a can of worms. I have a feeling someone from the House of Representatives and/or Senate will eventually make at least a performative effort. However, it is going to take a brave or stupid person to risk their political career over this. I can think of plenty of other cases that are more telling of a broken system than the Romeikes. There is a lot of publicity with Dreamers and DACA. A federal judge recently ruled that DACA isn't legal and that President Obama overstepped in providing that. The judge did not say it had to end though. There is a lot of confusion around it and people are scrambling. The Romeike children (not the parents) appear to have qualified for such status, but like other statuses, they aren't eligible for citizenship through it because no such path exists. Rule of thumb on immigration is that you apply in your home country and wait. Unless you are in mortal danger, you don't show up uninvited. I say this because Republicans (for the most part) are not in favor of DACA. To provide DACA sorts of protections to the Romeike young adults would be basically signaling that they are okay with DACA sort of benefits. If a legislator acted on behalf of the Romeike family publically but still voted against such immigration reforms, he or she would clearly be signaling that only white/European/Protestant people are deserving. It would be saying the quiet part aloud. I grew up in an area that was very much against immigration (from the Southern Border) and hates the idea of Dreamers/DACA status. Recently I moved to a more tolerant area. For example, the area I grew up in arrested a Dreamer (a college student who was brought to the US at 2 months old) for running a stop sign and wanted to deport her. Where I live and work now, legislators attending the State of the Union Address have invited DACA status undocumented people to attend with them. So my understanding is that the annual visits the Romeikes had with immigration officials got them work permits (Form I-766) and driving privileges. Lydia has said in past Q&As and other places that she has a driver's license (so she can fly domestically) but that she does not have a passport or other documents to allow her to travel to another country. She said she was eager to get that because she wanted to take Trace to Germany to visit and see where she was born. TSA will consider any of the following as ID to fly: State photo identity card State driver’s license Military ID Foreign passport (must be unexpired1) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Employment Authorization Card Trusted traveler cards such as the NEXUS, SENTRI and FAST cards issued by the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Border-crossing cards Native American tribal ID cards Airline or airport photo ID cards issued in compliance with TSA regulations and transportation worker ID credential I know a lot of us are curious as to why now. The clue does appear to be that the last of the German-born children is now 18. Deferment of Action is essentially a humanitarian effort for those who are undocumented. An example could include caring for a sick relative after your visa has run out. In this case, they were able to homeschool their children. Now that said child is 18, there is nobody left on the petition because the youngest two would not qualify for that sort of petition as US citizens already. They have the two US-born children who are still school age and could perhaps petition on behalf of the parents to keep living with their daughters in the US. However, I'm not seeing how Lydia and all her siblings would be needed to homeschool two young girls.

So legislative officials could step in here. But that is rare. If they do, they would face such calls daily. Court for them is regarding how to deport if they don't or can't self deport. Meanwhile hundreds of Latino and Hispanic children are detained without lawyers to put them on tv. Jail isn't the usual answer to over staying a visa. The only real reason at this time to jail them is to detain them from potentially running or evading authorities.

The comments from the attorney are killing me. He's claiming they are here with the "permission of the US government." Call me crazy, but logic says if they were, they would have green cards or citizenship by now. They were here despite objections. I'm rolling my eyes at all of it. They were legal for a total of 90 days when they first arrived. Since then they are undocumented and in much the same circumstances legally as any other undocumented person. The difference is that the country they are "fleeing" simply wanted to educate their children. If that is their plan, they are dumber than I thought. A judge in a deportation hearing isn't there to base a decision on the merits of their asylum claim. That train has left the station. The judge is deciding things like when they will be deported and if they are a risk and should be remanded to custody.The judge will be deciding if they should be and for how long they should be banned from entering the country. I get that Lydia is in a predicament. However, she has had ample time and opportunity to clear this up. She could have gone back to Germany after she turned 18 or even after she became engaged to Trace. She could have applied and had Trace sponsor her. The 24ish months it takes to process is a long time, but she wouldn't be worrying about it now. Mr. and Mrs. Romeike could have taken the children at different times and applied for citizenship.

My daughters were born in Taiwan. I was able to pick them up (different trips) at the orphanage and finish some paperwork there. I then went to the doctor with my daughters, visited the US consulate, got the passport - very nervewracking while you hope they don't turn you down - and then came back home six days later. In the US I finalized paperwork and had their citizenship made more permanent. I did that quickly with my oldest daughter. My younger daughter took longer because of the demands of a single mom and two kids under 3. I don't want Lydia or her siblings punished, but I do recognize that in our current system it would be better that they voluntarily or self-deport if they do want to come back and work toward citizenship. Their options for that while living in the US without documentation are severely limited if not impossible. I have zero concern or sympathy for her parents. They broke laws, whined, complained, and ran away so as to essentially cheat their children out of a proper education. They tried to circumvent the system that while not perfect is what we have now. Then when they were denied what they wanted, they proceeded to not only lie about the country they had "fled" to but actively work against said country through a variety of efforts. They were living in a country that denied them the ability to homeschool their children. They were not denied food, water, or even shelter. They were so active in their version of civil disobedience that they risked losing their own children because they refused to pay fines and rectify the situation. They had plenty of options but chose to try to make a mockery of those in need of asylum. When denied their asylum designation they didn't say let's fix this. They continued to stay in the country past their visas' expiration and play beat the clock. While I don't like the term anchor baby, Ryker fits the definition - " a child born to a noncitizen mother in a country which has birthright citizenship, especially when viewed as providing an advantage to family members seeking to secure citizenship or legal residency." Trace point blank said they were trying to dissuade officials from deportation by pointing out her pregnancy and the impending birth. Again, that is thumbing their nose at those truly in need. I'm not cheering for them to be deported. I am not crying over it either. My great-grandmother was separated from her family because the US only allowed her entry. She is the only one of her immediate family to survive the Holocaust. Her father was beaten to death for keeping his shop open too late. I just can't muster sympathy for the Romeike family and their supposed right to continue brainwashing their children.

It would require more initiative and work than he's ever shown before now. Visit for long periods - yes - but it won't be a permanent thing for him. Perhaps they have a way to obtain German travel documents, but I don't see much chance of a good ending here without that. I see a few ways they can get such passports abroad, but they need to make an appointment, show proof of citizenship, pay the fees, provide the picture, and be finger-printed. Apparently, there is a wait on that. If they can't get their paperwork in order to self-deport, they are facing bans from entering the country for potentially 5-10 years. So a few scenarios: 1. The Romeikes are deported to Germany with the two daughters born in the US joining them. Unable to return to the US (the German-born ones) for 10 years (worst case), they will have to either choose school for their younger two or face the fines and possible loss of custody. 2. The Romeikes are deported to Germany and they attempt "fleeing" to another country to avoid the evils of education. However, they may have to figure out how to take the younger two, as I am doubting they have done much in regard to dual citizenship for fear of appearances. It would make little sense to complete the process for your younger two to be dual citizens when you are claiming to be a refugee seeking asylum. There is apparently a list of rules if this is not taken care of in the first year? after birth. One states - "If you are born outside of Germany to at least one German parent, you qualify for dual citizenship. However, you must have lived in Germany for at least eight years and attended school there for at least six years." 3. They choose to leave their youngest children in the US and wait out the ban before applying to return. The youngest two could become adults and would have only seen their parents for a few weeks each year when traveling to Germany. That would be pretty expensive. The two Romeike girls who are school age are not necessarily eligible for citizenship in German even if they have two German parents. The immigration officials I talked to today explained that deferred status instills a false sense of security. More than likely there have been clues that this was coming and they chose to ignore them or didn't understand them.

He can visit temporarily without a visa. I believe it is 90 days out of 180 that he can stay. During that, he can apply for a residence permit. He technically can't "live" with Lydia until he has that permit, which has its own set of requirements. A residence permit is not permanent. He would have to pass a language test among other things to be allowed to live there long term. Permanent residency requires classes, language proficiency, proof of income, etc.

I sat through a seminar at my job regarding students with DACA status. I learned a little more about Trace is referring to as self or voluntary deportation. 1. Immigration will ask if the family has paperwork from any country that would permit them to travel. If they can produce that, they are told at the next appointment that they are eligible to self-deport. Self-deporting means someone leaves voluntarily and at their own expense. Additionally, they would have to drop any claims or motions to extend their time in the US, including the asylum request. They would have to admit they are undocumented and not supposed to stay. Finally, they have to waive their rights to another appeal. 2. If they don't have travel paperwork, they are not eligible. They will then be in line to be deported after a court hearing. The hearing doesn't give the option of staying but at what level they might be fined, remanded, etc. For example, if Lydia or her family were to say they planned to run and hide, the government could determine that they needed to be taken into custody. They might be looked at in regard to whether they have a lot of cash or fake travel documents. 3. Why bother to self deport? If a person was asked to self-deport and didn't, he or she or they would have a legal mark against them for being in the country without documentation, staying longer than their visa, and/or a million other things. Someone who is deported is essentially lower on the list for re-entry. However, a self-deported person can immediately apply (it takes months/years to process) for re-entry and has no record against them. If a judge requires them to be deported and it is done through the system rather than voluntarily, the family can be banned for 5-10 years from entering the US under penalty of fines and imprisonment.

They do not at this time. Ryker is the only grandchild.

So from what I gather - based on Trace's interpretation, Lydia's interpretation, and Mr. Romeike's interviews - The assumption was that the deferred status meant that they could stay and just not have paperwork. That's not how it works, but it appears to be their assumption. It appears that this year when they went in for their yearly paperwork, they were asked about passports and travel. Someone? Trace? Lydia's parents? Lydia? Someone asked why and they were told that they were subject to self deportation. They were also told to report back sooner than one year. Mr. Romeike originally said he was uneasy (my word) about the deferred status because there was no paperwork saying that. He was told just to trust the government. Why he went from skeptic to believing they were in the clear, I don't know. Maybe the lawyer for the homeschooling group led him to believe that in a way of saying the lawyer won. Maybe he misunderstood? All we have to go on here are some very outdated interviews and a vlog by an uneducated idiot. Another thing at play here is the federal court hearing regarding DACA. You are going to see more movement in terms of courts, immigration, etc. as the case heads to the US Supreme Court.

Technically yes. Decisions would need to be made to: 1. She and Ryker go to Germany and start the process of her immigrating as Trace's wife. Trace would stay in the US. Current wait times on this are about 24 months give or take. Maybe he knows someone who could speed that process but it is doubtful most politicians would touch it. Most are aware that immigration is a hot issue in politics. Trace would be the sponsor for her. 2. Ryker stays with Trace and the Bates but Lydia goes back to Germany. This would be less ideal, especially if she is nursing him. It sounds as though Trace and Lydia thought that this would never happen and that officials would make an exception because of the baby. Unfortunately for Lydia, the law is the law. They should continue making plans so that Ryker can travel legally. 3. Trace could apply to go with them to Germany and then work on the paperwork to return to the US with them legally. He would certainly struggle in another country, but it could be good for him. This is what he says he will do if it comes to it. It would be better that they do this while Ryker is so young and not faced with school issues of his own. Motherhood status of a US citizen is not a free pass to stay under current laws. Lydia was an adult who knew she was not a permanent resident and knew that she was not in line to get that status. As the law looks at it, she had a child with the knowledge that she could be deported at any time. She has little to no argument to stay on without proper documentation, as she is out of school and in no known or assumed physical danger by returning to Germany. Her younger siblings who were born in the United States are able to stay in the country though their parents are not. The Romeike parents would need to make a decision regarding guardianship of the two girls or take them back to Germany and face the same homeschooling challenges. I don't think they would leave their daughters with anyone and leave the US without a way to return. However, it depends on their commitment to parenting versus keeping them educated at home. Like with Lydia, the parents made the decision to have children while they were here temporarily and without documentation. None of them have a case to stay at this point legally. There is no direct threat to them by returning to Germany. As for Lydia and her brother, they should welcome the opportunity to legally take the steps in the process without the threat of violence, disease, starvation, etc. that actual refugees deal with every day. It would have behooved them to have taken those steps earlier rather than hoping that their presence would be ignored. The US government for better or worse has shown that it does not mind separating families, including small children, babies, and infants due to immigration status. While Ryker will not be placed in a cage or similar, his birth doesn't mean a whole lot to the US government. Trace claims that they have hired their own immigration attorney. Perhaps that attorney knows better, but from my own experience working with such an attorney, I doubt it. Especially in light of the most recent denial of DACA status and rights, I would be advising the Romeikes to start figuring out next steps because it sounds like the status quo isn't going to be there now.

There isn't anything Lydia could have filled out from the US now. As it stands she would have to go back to Germany and start the process there. She could have done so when they were engaged and tried for a K1 Visa that would allow her to get a green card later after they married. For them it is probably a rules for thee not for me situation. They could have tried to start the process, but were probably told by their lawyer that her being here without the proper documentation would result in issues such as denial or delay. Even then we're talking about 14–28 months to obtain your marriage-based green card if you apply from within the United States with the proper documentation. If you apply from outside the United States, it will take between 17–24 months. She and her family had 90-day visas about 15ish years ago. Since then they are undocumented. Their deferred status isn't/wasn't permission for them to stay. It was simply a delay in deportation.

The Bates/Paines tend to be very into gender roles. While I'm sure that Carson does play games with his sisters, there is no way he is not treated differently than his sisters. He's probably getting chores that are more about helping Chad and less about helping Erin in the kitchen. He is the oldest and probably has more responsibilities than his siblings. While he would typically have friends of both sexes, I'm hypothesizing that one reason he might seem unhappy is that he has such a lack of choices. There is nobody for him to emulate or recognize as like him. He is simply outnumbered. If Brooklyn, Holland, and Everly want to play house or dress up and he wants to play tag, he's not getting his way ever. Again, this isn't necessarily the way it is. It's just my assessment off my observations. He's at the age where he is potentially noticing differences more than similarities.

From the perspective of my friend whose niece is going through the asylum process and was denied - the request to return in a month or two is a really bad sign. If they were being moved through on a path to citizenship, the checks/supervision would be lowered to every 18 months or 24 months. A few things on that: 1. Does Mr. Romeike work a job or is he like the Bates and Duggars in that he is self-employed? Per the Bates Wiki, Mr. Romeike works teaching piano lessons, tuning pianos, and playing piano at special events. He is also the pianist at his church, First Baptist Church in Morristown, Tennessee. 2. It would appear that by age, none of the German-born children are under 18. Therefore, one can assume they are done with homeschooling. What is their reasoning for continued claims of asylum because the two born in the US wouldn't be on that original claim?

I would like to think they have been honest, but that's not really their style. Erin is like her mother in that she believes her children should be and are besties with each other. Maybe he gets to play with other boys his age at church? But I don't know much about their church. It used to be that they liked churches that were family worship style where no matter the age the family all stayed together rather than age dependant life groups or Sunday school.

I think he's probably got a very lonely life at this point. Do they have outside friends? He reminds me of what Jinger and Jill talk about in their books in terms of anxiety about living up to God's, Mom's, and Dad's expectations. He probably internalizes a lot of the fear about the wrath of God that his parents preach to him. He used to laugh and smile around Bradley. He has four little sisters who probably get on his nerves but Mom is probably telling him to pray it out. Tori, Bobby, and the kids just visited but the age gap between him and his boy cousins is significant. I doubt the new baby being a boy will help. The age gap will be too much for next long while.

Apparently, while they were homeschooling Lydia and her brother, they were fined and refused to pay the fine. They then lost custody of their children for a time period until...I'm guessing they agreed to send them to school and then took off for the US. There used to be a video of them telling the story to some church. I can't remember where I saw it. They got support for a while (still?) from a US based homeschooling organization who apparently paid for the lawsuit and appeals in its efforts to ensure homeschooling would remain legal in the US. I will share the link to a propaganda video that was produced about the family. https://hslda.org/post/romeike-vs-germany

1. Marrying a US citizen isn't an automatic in for immigration. Additionally, her parents' lawsuit that they wanted to be heard by the Supreme Court was filed as a family. She was still part of that and had to be removed. 2. Your husband came over with a job. Lydia's family did not. They came over claiming to be refugees. They did not go through the proper channels and in some cases those channels don't exist. Lydia's father and mother came here saying please take us in because we want to homeschool our children. They had no company sponsoring them or providing a visa. 3. Lydia's family did more in terms of interviews on conservative talk shows than actually attempting to get citizenship. Lydia and her family have to file for work visas, driving privileges, etc. every year because of their deferred status. Apparently, on the most recent annual visit, the officials questioned them about their passports, as they are going to have to "self-deport." Trace claimed that the annual visit was the norm but this time they were told they had to come back in a few months instead. For those who don't know, when their claim of asylum was denied, they appealed that decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals. That board also denied it and the courts sided against the family. They tried to take it to the Supreme Court but it was not heard. Since then they are what is referred to as deferred status, which means they are to be supervised (yearly check ins). The fact that the children are growing up and now two are married, one (Lydia) just had a baby, and the youngest two children were born in the US, etc., complicates things. Typically those on deferred status are aware their stay is temporary and are encouraged not to make links to the US permanently. They are clearly making such links. Additionally, the family has made videos, drummed up support at churches, and made the rounds on conservative talk shows to get themselves heard. They make claims that the US (under Obama) wanted to outlaw homeschooling too. They have a website and petition asking people to sign it and rise up against Obama who wouldn't answer questions about the family. I doubt he had the time to care who they were. They had four years under Trump to try to get something done but I don't see anything online about that.

Citizenship is a difficult issue for me due to personal experience of family and friends. I am very much a person who believes in asylum in many of the situations that are going on worldwide, but especially to the south of the United States. I volunteer and donate to support paths to citizenship and reunification of families. That said, I'm not sure that Germany requiring children to attend school falls into the category of needing to seek asylum. Trace's interpretation and blatant politicization of the facts as told by Lydia's family was disturbing to me, as was his ignoring the plights of so many others without her family's resources and clout. He wants people to pray for and support Lydia's family and yet he and his family would not cross the street to help others who are not white or from so-called desirable countries.