Catholic diocese sues US government, worried some foreign-born priests might be forced to leave
For more than a year, religious organizations have lobbied Congress and the Biden administration to fix a sudden procedural change in how the government processes green cards for religious workers from abroad. The change made in March 2023 threatens the ability of thousands of them to continue to minister in the United States. The Catholic Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, and five of its priests whose legal status in the United States expires as soon as next spring, have now sued the federal agencies overseeing immigration. They argue that the change will severely disrupt the lives and religious freedom of the priests, as well as the hundreds of thousands of Catholics they serve