PURCELLVILLE, Va.,-- On August 12, 2013, the White House responded to the Home School Legal Defense Association's petition that a German homeschooling family, the Romeikes, be granted political asylum in the United States. Uwe and Hannelore Romeike fled their home country after being prosecuted for homeschooling, which is illegal in Germany. The White House's response stated that, because the petition "request[s] a particular law enforcement or adjudicatory action, or address[es] a matter before the courts," the White House claimed it could not comment on the issue.