Does Text Therapy Really Work?

More than a decade ago, Thomas Derrick Hull, a clinical psychologist who researches digital health, had what felt like a wild thought. What if therapists, who can’t keep up with demand for mental-health care in the U.S., started texting their patients instead of making them come into the office?

Back then, it seemed unlikely even to Hull that patients and providers could use a screen to forge the bonds and meaningful conversations that blossom face-to-face. But the benefits were appealing: texting is cheap, fast, accessible, and easy to do on the fly, potentially allowing therapists to have regular interactions with their patients rather than waiting for a weekly session. So Hull began studying the efficacy of text-based care, eventually doing so as an executive at the online therapy provider Talkspace. (He left the company in 2020 and now works for a digital wellness startup.)

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Even if texting turned out to be only 60% or 70% as effective as traditional therapy, the convenience and accessibility could make it a better-than-nothing option, Hull used to think. “That felt like a fair trade,” Hull says. “But as we started looking at the data, it turned out that it seemed to be just as effective.”

Recent research—some of it funded by text therapy providers like Talkspace—continues to suggest that texting is a legitimate and effective way to deliver mental-health care to people of all ages. In a study published in July, for example, Hull and other researchers found that therapy by text or voice note is just as good as teletherapy—which has itself been shown to be roughly as effective as face-to-face therapy—at relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression over the course of three months.

That means people who like the idea of texting a therapist should feel confident they’re getting the same quality of care as people who opt for video appointments, says the study’s senior author Michael Pullmann, who conducted it while a research professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

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How can that be, when the connection between a patient and therapist is thought to be one of the best predictors of whether treatment will succeed? Can that bond really develop over text? The American Psychological Association hadn’t taken an official stance on text therapy as of 2015, and some therapists remain skeptical of the idea. But a 2021 research review suggests strong ties can grow by text or email, just as they do in person. Other research even finds that people can “bond” with AI chatbots.

Some research does suggest that face-to-face relationships yield better results than online bonds—but Adrian Aguilera, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who researches digital health, isn’t too worried about that. Aguilera says he cares less about whether text therapy is as effective as face-to-face therapy, and more about whether it’s better than nothing—because that’s how much mental-health care most people in the U.S. receive today. “Is it the best? Probably not,” he says. “A better question is, ‘Can it meet an unmet need?’”

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The answer seems to be positive. During the pandemic, Aguilera tested a system where people received daily automated text messages meant to improve mental health. (An example: “Self-soothe is an important skill for coping with distress. What are two ways that you can use your senses [e.g., smell, taste, touch] that will be calming?”) Across the board, people who got the texts reported improvements in their anxiety and depression symptoms after 60 days. But the program seemed to be especially beneficial for Latinx users, who reported learning new information from the messages, perhaps because they were less likely than white participants to have previously received mental-health care.

Aguilera’s other research has also shown that patients tend to stay in therapy longer when it includes a text-based element. And maybe that’s not so surprising, given that almost all of us are glued to our phones these days. “Have you ever texted a friend when you’ve been upset or anxious about something?” Pullmann asks. Almost certainly, the answer is yes.

Just like in casual conversation, texting with a therapist provides both the benefit of immediacy (you can fire off a message as soon as a difficult feeling arises) and asynchronicity (the person on the other end can take time to craft a thoughtful reply), Pullmann says.

Some people may also find it easier to express a dark, embarrassing, or vulnerable thought in writing—and research consistently finds that people benefit from translating their thoughts into written words, Hull notes. Plus, he says, text therapy may offer the benefits of “state-based learning,” that old psychological principle that it’s best to study for a test in the room where you’ll take it. In other words, it’s possible that therapeutic principles sink in better when they’re delivered in environments where people will actually need those insights, like at home or work.

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Text therapy is not perfect. Two of the biggest online providers, Talkspace and BetterHelp, have faced criticism, with Talkspace the subject of a class-action lawsuit alleging it has charged users money even when therapists aren’t available to meet with them. (All claims in the lawsuit have now been either dismissed or settled, according to a statement from Talkspace.) In a 2022 Wall Street Journal article, providers who worked with Talkspace also criticized the quality of care offered on the platform.

In a statement provided to TIME, Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, Talkspace’s chief medical officer, said that the platform’s therapists are vetted and licensed, and that research suggests text therapy is effective. “Imagine having an always-on, open-door option for people to communicate with their therapists, rather than bottling things up and waiting for their next session,” Benders-Hadi said in the statement. “Ultimately what is most important is meeting members where they are, and letting them choose the modality that works best for how they would like to engage with therapy.”

Meanwhile, BetterHelp last year agreed to pay almost $8 million to settle charges from the Federal Trade Commission regarding improper data-sharing practices. In a public statement after the settlement, the company said its “technology, policies, and procedures are designed to protect and secure our members’ information so it is not used or shared without their approval and consent.”

BetterHelp has also recently faced backlash on social media from customers who say its clinicians gave bad advice or behaved inappropriately. In a statement provided to TIME, a spokesperson for BetterHelp did not directly address those allegations, but emphasized that the company provides “many ways” for clients to connect with therapists, including phone and video calls, and said it is “very rare” for members to exclusively use text messages.

Quality control is an issue with any form of therapy, Hull says. There will always be good therapists and bad therapists, good patient matches and bad ones, whether appointments happen in a private practice or through an iPhone.

“I don’t think there’s anything about message-based care that reduces quality, in principle,” he says. Increasingly, the data are on his side. 

source https://time.com/7014816/does-text-therapy-work/

At Least 13 Dead After Migrant Boat Capsizes Near Northern France

(PARIS) — The mayor of a French coastal town being used in a rescue operation says 13 migrants are dead after their boat ripped apart Tuesday during an attempted crossing of the English Channel.

Dozens of people plunged into the treacherous waters of the busy channel.

“Unfortunately, the bottom of the boat ripped open,” said Olivier Barbarin, mayor of Le Portel near the fishing port of Boulogne-sur-Mer, where a first aid post was set up to treat victims. “It’s a big drama.”

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A maritime rescue official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss details of the operation confirmed that at least 13 migrants were dead.

Etienne Baggio, a spokesman for the French maritime prefecture that oversees that stretch of sea, said “more than 10” people were dead but he didn’t have an exact number. The prefecture said the boat got into difficulty off Gris-Nez point.

Both Baggio and the mayor said rescuers recovered 61 people from the waters.

Sea temperatures off northern France were around 20 degrees C, or about 68 F.

At least 30 migrants have died or gone missing while trying to cross to the U.K. this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

At least 2,109 migrants have tried to cross the English Channel on small boats in the past seven days, according to U.K. Home Office data updated Tuesday. The data includes people found in the channel or on arrival.

Europe’s increasingly strict asylum rule s, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants have been pushing them north.

source https://time.com/7016970/migrant-boat-dead-france-capsize/

The Brutalist—At Least, Half of It—Is as Exhilarating as Any Movie You’ll See This Year

What separates a genius from the rest of us schmoes? That’s the question Brady Corbet—a prolific actor who’s gradually building a career as an inventive, out-there director—mines in The Brutalist, the story of a fictional mid-20th-century architect who, though acclaimed in his homeland of Hungary, finds himself scrambling to rebuild his life in the country he feels fortunate to have escaped to, the United States. Adrien Brody plays László Tóth, who has survived imprisonment in Buchenwald and made the tumultuous passage to New York: we get a point-of-view shot that captures what it might have been like to disembark from a crowded steamer and see the Statue of Liberty all topsy-turvy and sideways before you. She looks great, like someone who’s actually happy to see you. László will soon find out just how unwelcome he really is, though by staying true to his outsized vision, he will eventually achieve outsized fame—and it will take a runtime of three hours and change (with a 15-minute intermission in between) to lay all of this out.

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The Brutalist, playing in competition here at the Venice Film Festival, is almost nuttily ambitious. In his third feature as director, Corbet does nothing by half measures, which doesn’t mean everything he tries is 100 percent successful. The Brutalist is half a great film: the hefty chunk of movie leading up to that intermission is as exhilarating as anything you’re likely to see this year—there’s a Rite of Spring brashness to it. But in the second half, its bold, angular lines soften into something more oblique and conventional, even though some of the plot elements are quite harrowing. It’s as if Corbet, along with his regular co-writer Mona Fastvold, used all their best ideas in their master-builder climb to the top, without figuring out how they might climb down.

But we live in an age when it’s hard enough to make even half a great film. And no matter how you cut it, The Brutalist is a spectacle, the sort of movie that can turn an afternoon into an event. Corbet divides the story into three sections, plus an epilogue, beginning in 1947 and winding up in 1980, at that year’s Venice Biennale, the first devoted to architecture. The film opens with that suitably jarring, shaky-cam arrival at Ellis Island. This is where we get our initial glimpse of Brody’s László, disembarking with a friend; their first order of business is to relieve some sexual tension. As a winsome beauty goes to work on László, she asks him why her ministrations aren’t doing the trick. “It’s the space above your brow that’s a problem,” he says, looking down at her upturned face. “There’s something I don’t like.”

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It’s a cruel thing to say, but it’s also quintessential architect-speak. These are people with firm ideas about what they like and don’t like—aesthetic choices are their lifeblood. But for László, there’s something else: he and his wife, Erzsébet, were forcibly separated and sent to different camps during the war. She’s trapped in Austria—along with the couple’s niece, Zsofia, who has some health problems that demand special attention—but László doesn’t yet know that they’re still alive. When he finally reaches Pennsylvania, where he’s reunited with a cousin, Attila (Alessandro Nivola), he learns that both are alive. His relief breaks through in a flood of tears; Brody makes you feel both their heat and their restorative coolness. He’s wonderful in this role.

Attila and his Connecticut blonde wife (Emma Laird) run a custom furniture business; their specialty is ugly brown wood stuff. Attila gives László an empty storeroom to sleep in, and allows him to help with the business, though László’s pride prevents him from accepting more than that. In line at a soup kitchen, he meets a single father, Gordon (Isaach De Bankolé); the two will form a long-lasting bond. This is how Corbet inches forward with László’s story, which really kicks into gear when he and Attila accept a quickie commission from a rich skinflint, Joe Alwyn’s Harry Lee Van Buren. Harry wants to surprise his millionaire father with a refurbished library. Can they do it in a week? László takes charge, taking a stuffy old space and creating a glorious, half-moon shaped reading refuge with adjustable sliding bookshelves and, in the center, a single, swoonworthy chrome-and-leather lounge chair reminiscent of Le Corbusier. The future has arrived.

Then papa bear Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce, in a fine, flinty performance) arrives home early. He hates this surprise, and blasts László and Atilla with his anger; young Harry refuses to pay them. Attila sends László off on his own, telling him he must fend for himself. Fast-forward a few months: it turns out Harrison’s futuristic reading room has been featured in LOOK magazine, marking him as a man of taste and vision. He digs around and learns that László was a very big deal back in Hungary; in his eyes, that further burnishes László’s star. He finds László, who’s toiling away nobly at menial construction jobs, and offers him the chance of a lifetime: the opportunity to design and build a community center in honor of Harrison’s late mother, to whom he was devoted. The building, to be the pride of Doylestown, Pa., must contain a library, a gymnasium, an auditorium, and a chapel. László fulfills this impossible mission by designing a spare, elegant edifice that can do it all.

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That’s barely the beginning of The Brutalist. The story that follows doesn’t just map László’s rise, fall, and eventual re-ascent: it’s a thumbnail history of the last half of the 20th century, a meditation on the realities of being an outsider and a Jew in postwar America, a detailed treatise on the way rich people can sometimes giveth, though in the end they’re much more likely to take away—and we’re not just talking about money. The Bauhaus-trained László is so ahead of the curve, he’s almost out of sight. That’s what makes people hate him, and even fear him. The Brutalist strives to explore the best and worst of human behavior, and just about every gradation in between.

Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy) eventually make it to New York, and though László has long dreamed of reuniting with them, their arrival demands that he shift his thinking. It also cramps his style: he seems to care, at times, only for creating monuments to himself. But he’s also hardworking and principled. At one point, Harrison fawns over him by asking, “Why architecture?” László doesn’t have an easy answer, but rather one that branches out like the veining in a fine slab of marble. His work had been deemed “un-Germanic” by the Reich; now, he wants his buildings to stand tall and spark protests, so that humans may strive to effect change. But on a more intimate scale, he suffers: he’s an on-again, off-again junkie, having gotten hooked in order to relieve the pain caused by injuries he sustained during the war.

The first half of The Brutalist is so dramatically robust that you almost can’t wait to see where it’s headed. Corbet and his cinematographer Lol Crawley love big-picture shorthand and skewed camera angles that probably shouldn’t work but somehow do. Instead of showing us a train headed for a crash, they build a sense of dread by sending the camera zipping along a set of train tracks, followed by a magnificent overhead shot of a plume of normal engine smoke erupting into a fireball explosion. Daniel Blumberg’s music is just as evocative, both exhilarating and unmooring at once: he goes for chunky symphonic shards of sound, building and releasing tension with, say, a flutter of woodwinds or plucked strings. (Corbet has dedicated the film to the late singer-songwriter and record producer Scott Walker, who composed the monumentally far-out scores for Corbet’s previous films, the extraordinary fascist-in-training drama Childhood of a Leader and the uneven but imaginative pop-star parable Vox Lux.)

The Brutalist does demand some patience, as well as a good chunk of your time. And it really starts to wobble near its wrap-up, using a single traumatic event—admittedly a traumatic one—to explain why László has suddenly become an obsessive tyrant, rather than just a demanding perfectionist. We don’t see him reveal his secret torment; that apparently happens during an especially tender moment with Erzsébet. The movie feels as if it’s in a rush to finish, and by that point, your patience might be running out, too.

Yet we need filmmakers like Corbet, who thinks in big visual loops rather than tiny shapes designed to fit neatly on a laptop screen or the back of an airplane seat. The Brutalist was shot with VistaVision cameras and projected here in Venice in glorious 70mm format. Not everyone—in fact, very few—will be able to see it that way. But if we can’t dream big, why bother at all? The Brutalist is a kind of crazy space church, designed specifically for the communal moviegoing experience. It’s a place to gather and give thanks.

source https://time.com/7016712/the-brutalist-review/

Sagar Radia on Rishi’s Intense and Chaotic Day in Industry Season 3

In the first two seasons of HBO’s Industry, we’ve known Rishi Ramdani, played by Sagar Radia, as a mid-level trader at Pierpoint whose foul-mouth comments constantly push the workplace boundaries. Industry is a high-intensity drama that never takes its foot off the gas, and in some ways, Rishi’s absurd quips, high-strung attitude, and crude language have brought levity to the show. Season three of Industry gives a closer look at Rishi’s world in an episode that focuses entirely on the character.

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The fourth episode of the seaeson, which airs on Sept. 1, follows Rishi through a particularly intense and chaotic day, showing what makes him tick—other than his high-stakes job of dealing in large sums of money.

Radia tells TIME that he’s seen an innate confidence grow in Rishi as his character changes throughout the series. He was surprised when he learned he’d be leading an episode but felt ready for the challenge. “Once you get a script like that, you’re like, ‘Cool, let’s get to work,’” he says. 

Titled “White Mischief,” the episode begins with Pierpoint’s credibility being sent into a tailspin after the disastrous ESG conference in the previous episode and the implosion of Lumi. Rishi joins his coworkers to discuss what to do next and suggests a trade that’s a huge risk but still seems to find support among the team. Then, Rishi is with his wife, his in-laws and their new baby, celebrating Boxing Day. But things aren’t going well for him: while Rishi is watching a video on his phone he gets a notification alerting him to a declined payment. His nose starts to bleed—signaling stress and that he may be overdoing it on drugs.

Later, Rishi and his wife are home when they hear a knock at the door. A guy named Vinay is looking for him because Rishi owes him a lot of money. Over the course of the episode, we learn that Rishi is in ₤200,000 of gambling debt and that’s why he pushed the “high risk, high reward, mega bullish” trade at Pierpoint. And at work, HR is after him about his uncensored language, while MD on the CPS desk Eric Tao (Ken Leung) is increasing his warnings about the high-risk trade. 

Radia says filming the episode was difficult, not only because of the intensity and physicality of the scenes, but because the episode was shot out of sequence (which is typical of most professional productions). He leaned on the director, Zoé Wittock, to make sure they hit the emotional beats they both were hoping for. He also gives credit to the creators Konrad Kay and Mickey Down for fostering a collaborative work environment that allowed for more ease to figure out the right rhythm they wanted to hit. One of the first scenes they filmed appears towards the end of the episode and Radia says, “When you’re trying to drop yourself into an emotional situation like this on day one, if something’s not working, you’re not like beating yourself up about it.” He continues, “They’re just like, ‘We’ll find it, let’s go again.”

Though Rishi is firm in his hunch about the trade, his anger and anxiety are spiraling out of control. He storms out of Pierpoint to meet Vinay,  who has a “friend” in the car with him as he tells Rishi he needs to pay  the debt. Vinay asks what everyone is thinking: “How are you in finance and you’re so broke?”

Vinay seems to take some pity on Rishi, even offering him extra cash. But Rishi declines and takes the money he should have given to Vinay and gambles. He wins big, gets a section at a club, gets into a fight, gambles more, and loses everything.

Things get worse—at Pierpoint, another meeting is called about anonymously reported concerns over Rishi’s language. He is at a low point, with a battered face, black eye, and a bruised ego, and pleading for support from Anraj, who is afraid of him. Thankfully, the risky trade ends up being the right move—Rishi rakes in millions of pounds.

Toward the end of the episode, we see Rishi and his wife, Diana, getting into a screaming match. He finally reveals how much debt he’s in and Diana agrees to bail him out using money she’s made from her job, and sticks by his side. He calls Vinay and tells him he has his money, but continues to gamble with his money and his life.

This moment, Radia says, was the toughest to get through. It’s a culmination of all the issues that Rishi has been facing up until now, he says, noting an affecting line from Diana: “It’s much easier to raise strong boys than fix broken men.”

“Rishi’s been through this whole thing and she says that and he has to sit with it,” he says. “He starts to question his morality and he starts to question the type of man he wants to be now.”

source https://time.com/7016286/industry-hbo-sagar-radia/

George Clooney Addresses Biden Dropping Out After His Op-Ed Called for a New Nominee

Actor George Clooney addressed President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race, which he did 11 days after Clooney addressed the President in an opinion piece for the New York Times titled: “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee.” 

In a press conference for his upcoming film Wolfs, in which he stars alongside Brad Pitt, on Sunday, Sept.1 at the Venice Film Festival, Clooney, 63, was asked about the impact of his op-ed.

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When met with some applause from the crowd, the Hollywood actor shifted the focus back to Biden.

“The person who should be applauded is the President who did the most selfless thing anyone’s done since George Washington,” Clooney said. “All the machinations that got us there, none of that’s going to be remembered. And it shouldn’t be. What should be remembered is the selfless act.”

He went on to describe how hard it is to “let go of power.” Addressing the room of press, he noted: “For someone to say, ‘I think there’s a better way forward?’ All credit goes to him.”

NEWS: George Clooney is asked about President Biden dropping out of presidential race and the op-ed he wrote for @nytimes calling on him to step aside. He says it was selfless decision, Biden should be applauded and he’s proud of where world is right now. #Venezia81 pic.twitter.com/mi7amA6Zvc

— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) September 1, 2024

In the Times op-ed, published just weeks after Clooney co-hosted a Democratic fundraiser at the Los Angeles Peacock Theater, Clooney said he “love[d]” Biden and considers him a friend. Yet, at the fundraiser, “he wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020.” Making reference to Biden’s widely-criticized performance at the first 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump on June 27, Clooney said of the President: “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”

Clooney was one of the more high-profile voices to speak out following the debate, in which Biden stumbled on his words and at times rambled off into tangents that others struggled to understand.

As a self-proclaimed “lifelong Democrat” and a  prominent donor of the political party, Clooney reflected on the time he had spent with Biden over the years.

He went on to say: “This is about age. Nothing more… We are not going to win in November with this President.”

The op-ed came at a significant moment in the Biden campaign, as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats also called on the President to step aside. Less than two weeks later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for President.

Following Biden’s announcement that he was dropping out of the race, Clooney released a statement to CNN, where he praised Biden and endorsed Harris. 

“President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He’s saving democracy once again,” the actor said. “We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice President Harris in her historic quest.”

source https://time.com/7016688/george-clooney-president-biden-dropping-out-election-comments/

The Oasis 2025 Tour Tickets Controversy, Explained

After breaking up 15 years ago, iconic rock band Oasis announced on Aug. 27 that they would be reuniting for a U.K. and Ireland tour in 2025. The news that formerly feuding brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher will once again share the stage has been met with enthusiasm—but not without controversy.

The announcement of the tour resulted in an “unprecedented demand” for tickets, leading the band to add even more U.K. and Ireland dates. Still, the quest for tickets via Ticketmaster has been marred with frustration over technological issues, pricing, and touts.

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Here’s a breakdown of the Oasis ticketing controversy and where things currently stand.

Issues with Ticketmaster

On Friday, Aug. 30, fans who had been selected in the pre-sale ballot waited in a queue on Ticketmaster—which dominates concert and sporting tickets around the world—ahead of the three-hour window for pre-sale purchases. On X (formerly Twitter), many fans complained about technical difficulties preventing them from accessing tickets. Some people got locked out of their Ticketmaster accounts, or were virtually queuing behind tens of thousands of people, only to be kicked out of the Ticketmaster queue or to receive an error notification once they finally reach the checkout stage of the ticket-buying process.

When the tickets went on general sale on Saturday, Aug. 31, fans complained of the same issues.

Read More: What Happened During Congress’ Hearing on Ticketmaster and the Taylor Swift Concert Mess

Former One Direction member Louis Tomlinson, widely known to be a long-time Oasis fan, even entered the conversation. While attending the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon, he shared that he had been in the queue for reunion tour tickets, but was unlucky and hadn’t received a (pre-sale ballot) code.

In addition to the queuing and technical problems, there’s also been backlash about the prices. Within an hour of the pre-sale, tickets appeared on re-selling sites for triple the face value.

Oasis spoke out on X about the controversy and prices, telling fans that tickets can only be re-sold at face value via certain websites. “Tickets appearing on other secondary ticketing sites are either counterfeit or will be cancelled by the promoters,” the post read.

Yet, the controversy is also connected to Ticketmaster’s own price raising, since during the sale, they upped their own prices for “in-demand” tickets. As fans finally entered the ticket-selection portion of the website, they found out that tickets that were originally £148 ($194) were being sold at £355 ($466). Ticketmaster introduced this “in-demand” dynamic pricing system in 2022, which allows their prices to inflate according to the market demand.

Fans referred to the raised ticket prices as “problematic,” with some comparing Ticketmaster to touts.

"In demand standing ticket" is just a standard standing ticket except double the price.

No difference between Ticketmaster and touts.#OasisDublin pic.twitter.com/IcfX715wEJ

— Darragh Moriarty (@darragh_mor) August 31, 2024

“As anticipated, millions of fans accessed our site and were placed in a queue, which moved along as they bought tickets,”a Ticketmaster spokesperson told TIME in an email. “We always advise fans to hold their place in line, make sure they’re only using one tab, clear cookies, and ensure they aren’t using any VPN software on their device.”

They added: “To clarify, Ticketmaster does not set ticket prices.”

On its website, Ticketmaster states: “Promoters and artists set ticket prices. Prices can be either fixed or market-based. Market-based tickets are labeled as ‘Platinum’ or ‘In Demand.’”

This is not the first time Ticketmaster has been at the heart of controversy over their ticket system. During the sale for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the company came under fire after fans waited in a queue for hours during pre-sale, just for the website to glitch at the last moment, with Ticketmaster eventually canceling the general sale.

Are Oasis adding extra shows to the 2025 U.K. and Ireland tour?

Due to the difficulties and demand for tickets, many fans are calling for Oasis to add more tour dates for their now-sold out 2025 tour in the U.K. and Ireland. 

Calls for more dates come after Oasis already added an additional three extra shows in the U.K. ahead of the tickets going on sale.

It is not yet known if Oasis will be adding further additional dates in light of the continued public demand.

TIME has reached out to Oasis’ representatives for comment.

source https://time.com/7016665/oasis-tickets-2025-tour-controversy-ticketmaster-extra-dates-demand/

Why a Catholic Diocese in New Jersey Is Suing the U.S. Government

The Catholic diocese in Paterson, New Jersey, has filed suit against the U.S. government, looking for a reverse in the visa procedures for religious workers—a rule they believe could threaten the status and future of foreign-born clergy in the United States.

The diocese is joined by five priests in the lawsuit filed on Aug. 8 in the U.S. District Court in Newark, brought against the Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. According to the suit, four of the priests’ visas are due to  expire in 2025, and one is set to expire in 2026.

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Many religious workers immigrate to the U.S. under temporary visas called R-1, which allow them to work in the U.S. for five years, at which point they can petition for permanent residency under a special category called EB-4.

The change to the Immigration and Nationality Act they are fighting against was announced in March 2023. Categories of applicants that were previously in a separate line—including minors from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador—have now been added to the same queue as that of religious worker visas. Typically, Congress establishes a maximum number of green cards available per year per category, which is usually determined based on one’s professional or familial ties to the U.S.

With this change, Congress added masses of applications to their category while retaining the cap of green cards to be issued per year, causing backlogs in green card applications by clergy and religious workers.

The lawsuit brought forth by the Catholic diocese in New Jersey alleges that the change was done “without proper notice” and that it “directly threatens” the plaintiffs’ ability to carry out their “carry out their religious and spiritual vocation.”

“The abrupt shift in the calculation of visa availability and sudden enforcement of that agency action imposes substantial burdens on Plaintiffs,” the lawsuit states. “Plaintiffs will necessarily be deprived of their ability to engage in their religious vocation in the United States and will face significant undue disruption, cost, and delay relating to their respective immigration matters.”

TIME has reached out to The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for comment.

In a letter to Congress in July 2023, Reverend Mark Seitz, Bishop of El Paso, Texas, argued against the procedural change not just on behalf of religious workers, but on behalf of young children who “often wait for years as they are required to compete with adults for visas in the EB-4 category.”

“Unfortunately, the current situation violates both Congress’ intent to provide religious organizations and our communities with needed workers and its express desire to protect vulnerable immigrant youth,” Seitz wrote.

In a statement emailed to TIME, a U.S. State Department spokesperson acknowledged that the 2023 policy change had created significantly longer worldwide waits for religious worker green cards, though they did not comment on the litigation. 

“This is an untenable situation,” said Lance Conklin, who co-chairs the religious workers group of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, in a statement to the Associated Press. “The lawsuit is representative of the way a lot of people feel.”

source https://time.com/7016559/why-catholic-diocese-in-new-jersey-is-suing-us-government/