Bishop Barron Won’t Speak Out on Trump's ICE Raids — Pope Leo Says He Must

As ICE raids escalate and the Church pleads for moral leadership, America’s most famous bishop looks away.

One of America’s most prominent Catholic leaders, Bishop Robert Barron, has been conspicuously silent about President Donald Trump’s aggressive ICE raids on immigrant families.

This silence stands in stark contrast to the clear moral call coming from Pope Leo XIV. Earlier this month, Pope Leo implored the U.S. Church to speak out “with one voice” against the cruelty unfolding at the border.

In a recently surfaced video, the pope even broke into tears listening to migrants terrorized by deportation raids, insisting that “the Church cannot stay silent before injustice.”

He told these families, “You stand with me. And I stand with you,” underlining the Gospel mandate to defend the voiceless. Pope Leo expressed frustration that too many bishops have offered only a timid response to Trump’s deportation campaign.

He quickly said he wanted the Church in the United States to be more united and forceful on this issue, effectively urging the American hierarchy to find courage and speak strongly as one.

Yet at this pivotal moment, when the Vicar of Christ is pleading for moral clarity, Bishop Barron’s voice is nowhere to be found.

Indeed, Barron’s silence is jarring given his stature. Here is a bishop known for media savvy and evangelization, even serving on President Trump’s own Religious Liberty Commission, yet he has said nothing about the ongoing deportation crackdowns — even as federal agents have been sweeping up parishioners in their raids.

While other clergy in border regions and even in deep MAGA country have bravely spoken up to shelter immigrant families, Barron’s continued quiet stands out.

The pope’s allies note that such silence only underscores the urgency of Leo’s message: the Church must not fall mute in the face of injustice. Simply put, the times cry out for moral witness — and Bishop Barron is missing in action.

Vocal on Everything — Except This

What makes Bishop Barron’s reticence on Trump’s ICE raids especially perplexing is that he has not been shy about weighing in on other pressing issues in public life. In fact, he has been remarkably vocal — even combative — on several recent controversies:

Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

When conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated last month, Bishop Barron took to social media repeatedly to mourn and praise him. He eulogized Kirk as “first and last, a passionate Christian,” lauding him as one of America’s great champions of civil discourse.

He shared personal anecdotes of their friendship and held up Kirk’s death as a spiritual wake-up call. Barron’s tribute painted Kirk in almost saintly hues, calling him “a kind of apostle of civil dialogue” — a portrayal so glowing that some Catholic commentators openly questioned its basis in reality.

Regardless, the bishop’s outpouring showed how passionately he could speak when he felt compelled.

Tim Kaine on God-Given Rights

Similarly, Bishop Barron did not hesitate to publicly chastise a U.S. senator over a matter of principle.

After Catholic Senator Tim Kaine suggested during a hearing that our rights come from the Constitution and not directly from God, Barron swiftly responded with a national op-ed.

He attacked Kaine’s statements as deeply misguided, vigorously defending the founding ideal that rights are endowed by the Creator.

In print and on his own platforms, Barron took Kaine to task for “rejecting God-given rights,” framing the issue as an alarming drift toward secularism.

This willingness to challenge a high-profile Catholic politician — by name, in public — underscored Barron’s boldness on issues he considers important.

“Thoughts and Prayers” in Minneapolis

Just weeks ago, Barron again made headlines when he rebuked Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for dismissing prayer after a tragic mass shooting at a Catholic school. Mayor Frey had warned people not to offer “thoughts and prayers” alone, calling such responses insufficient. Bishop Barron blasted those remarks as “completely asinine.”

In interviews and online, he argued that prayer is not a platitude but a powerful act, noting that “Catholics don’t think that prayer magically protects them from all suffering,” yet it remains essential in times of crisis.

Barron stressed that invoking God’s help “by no means stands in contrast to decisive moral action,” pointing to figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who combined deep prayer with effective social action.

The bishop’s sharp words for the mayor — even calling his understanding of prayer naive — again showed Barron’s readiness to engage forcefully in the public square.

Aside from his public quarrel with Frey, he’s remained largely silent about the mass shooting that killed innocent children during Mass in his own state.

Nevertheless, these examples make one thing clear: Bishop Barron is perfectly capable of speaking out, and doing so with passion and clarity, when he chooses to.

Whether the issue is defending a slain conservative firebrand, challenging a U.S. senator on constitutional law, or upbraiding a mayor for downplaying prayer, Barron has not been a silent or neutral figure.

He has leveraged his platform to shape public discourse and call out what he sees as errors.

That record of bold engagement is precisely why his utter silence on Trump’s abusive ICE raids is so disappointing. On an issue literally involving life, death, and human dignity — families torn apart in our communities — Bishop Barron has offered not a single prophetic word.

A Disappointing Silence and Its Consequences

Barron’s unwillingness to address Trump’s immigration crackdown is more than a personal omission; it’s a leadership failure that carries real consequences. As one of the nation’s most recognizable bishops, Barron’s words (or lack thereof) send a signal to both the faithful and the broader public.

His silence risks suggesting that the plight of immigrant families simply doesn’t merit the same moral urgency as the other issues he’s been vocal about. This is especially troubling given that he sits on President Trump’s own commission on religious liberty.

In that role, Bishop Barron is ostensibly tasked with advising on freedom and justice — yet he has chosen to stay quiet about an injustice unfolding under the very administration he’s advising.

The contrast is hard to ignore: he’ll challenge a politician’s abstract remarks about rights, but not the concrete trampling of migrants’ rights happening in real time.

One can imagine that Bishop Barron’s voice, if raised, could make a difference. He has a sizable following among Catholics and an even wider audience through his Word on Fire ministry.

Were he to speak out against the mass deportation raids — to echo Pope Leo’s plea that “the Church cannot stay silent before injustice” — it would carry weight.

It could embolden other hesitant bishops to finally break their silence, helping to form the “united front” Pope Leo has called for

It might also sway lay Catholics who admire Barron, encouraging them to see immigrant families not as political pawns but as brothers and sisters deserving compassion.

At the very least, it would affirm to frightened immigrant communities that a high-profile Church leader has not forgotten them. In short, Bishop Barron’s public witness matters.

His continued silence, however, speaks volumes — and not in a good way. Every day he says nothing, the impression deepens that some church leaders are picking their battles based on politics or convenience, rather than the Gospel.

And every day of silence is a day the Church’s credibility on human rights and pro-life consistency erodes a little more.

As the American pope has emphasized, defending migrants is not a “political” side issue — it is a test of the Church’s very conscience.

This is about human life and dignity, values at the core of our faith. Bishop Barron surely understands that. Which makes his reluctance to apply his voice here, when it is most needed, all the more baffling. For a shepherd who has shown he can be courageous, the absence of courage now is casting a shadow.

A Call to Courage

On behalf of the Letters from Leo community, I feel compelled to directly address Bishop Barron:

Your Excellency, now is the time to heed Pope Leo’s advice and find your voice.

The Holy Father could not have been clearer in his appeal — the Church must not remain silent in the face of such injustices.

You have spoken boldly on so many issues in public life; please, speak up for those families being separated and terrorized by these raids.

Use the moral authority of your office and the reach of your media platform to defend the dignity of migrants, as our faith demands.

If you do so, I am confident it could make a real difference. You would not be alone in taking this stand — far from it.

From Pope Leo XIV in Rome to countless priests, religious, and lay Catholics on the ground in border states, the whole Church is ready to walk with you in this cause.

We have already seen bishops in Texas, Arizona, and even in conservative heartland communities bravely standing with immigrant families.

Bishop Barron, history will remember how spiritual leaders respond when confronted with state-sponsored cruelty. This is a moment that tests our resolve to live the Gospel we profess.

Your voice carries far — and silence is not an option.

I urge you, with fraternal respect and hope, to take a courageous stand now. Speak the truth about the human cost of these ICE raids and demand a better path. “You stand with me, and I stand with you,” Pope Leo told the vulnerable.

The Church is standing with those immigrants. We are standing with you, too, as you discern your response. But we need you to stand up as well. Please, do not let this opportunity for moral leadership slip away.

The voiceless are crying out for justice, and they need your voice. Now is the time to answer that call.

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