DHS Says It Will Reduce Wait Times for Religious Workers Outside the US

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Jan. 14 that it will reduce wait times for thousands of foreign religious workers to be readmitted to the United States, allowing them to return to the country in a timely manner. Workers such as “priests, nuns, and rabbis” who were previously “required to remain outside the United States before returning” can now “resume their essential services,” according to DHS. In effect, the rule would significantly reduce the wait time for workers to reenter the United States, thereby mitigating “disruptions for faith-based communities” in the country, DHS said. “Pastors, priests, nuns, and rabbis are essential to the social and moral fabric of this country,” a DHS spokesperson said. “We remain committed to finding ways to support and empower these organizations in their critical work.”...