The general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), joined by the executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), called on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reconsider a proposed $70,000 fee for higher educational institutions that recommend that a foreign student take part in a temporary work authorization program.
“ICE seems to make no consideration of the unique circumstances facing those preparing for religious service, nor the reliance interests of the institutions preparing them for ministry,” William J. Quinn and Anna Gallagher wrote in a letter to Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security. “ICE simply ignores the realities of religious exercise in this context altogether, even though it knows seminaries are among those institutions certified to participate in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).”
“Were ICE to move forward with implementing the proposed fees, at a minimum, we urge it to offer a blanket exemption or fee waivers to avoid unreasonably burdening religious institutions, such as Catholic seminaries,” they added.