Catholic diocese sues US government, worried some foreign-born priests might be forced to leave

Religious organizations have been pressing Congress and the Biden administration to address an abrupt procedural change in the government’s handling of religious worker green cards for over a year. This move puts thousands of religious workers’ ability to continue their ministry in the United States at jeopardy. The federal agencies that control immigration have been sued by the Catholic Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, along with five of its priests, whose legal status in the United States is set to expire as early as next spring. They contend that in addition to the hundreds of thousands of Catholics they serve, the shift “will cause severe and substantial disruption to the lives and religious freedoms” of the priests. According to Raymond Lahoud, Paterson’s legal counsel, the diocese is the first to file a lawsuit against the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.