Poor Clare nuns to be deported?

By Domenico Bettinelli, Jr. ( articles - email ) | Sep 24, 2003

Here's a weird story. Two Korean sisters living in a cloistered convent in Cleveland may be forced to leave the country by the Dept. of Homeland Security. Their request for visas as religious workers has been denied.

(Stories making this out to be an anti-terrorism thing and focusing on the Homeland Security aspect are wrongly focused. Since 9/11, immigration is now controlled by Homeland Security.)

The crux of the problem appears to be that they haven't been able to document that they "worked for the same employer" for two consecutive years before applying. Of course, the sisters came to the US to become Poor Clare nuns.

On the one hand, you say it's a common sense solution: They're obviously cloistered nuns who live behind bars and pray all day. Why not give them visas? On the other hand, rules are rules and people who are trying to sneak into the country for nefarious reasons can pretend to be anything. I think what will happen is that a waiver will be given. I would hope that the Archdiocese of Cleveland is going to step in and speak up on the nuns behalf.

What we need more than anything is more people like these cloistered nuns praying night and day.