Kansas Bishops Call Trump's ICE Raids a Betrayal of the Gospel

Deep in Trump Country, Catholic leaders unite to say: immigration policy must be guided by compassion and justice, not political fear.

In a strong moral rebuke from MAGA country, the Catholic bishops of Kansas have sharply criticized President Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement, calling out “unnecessary raids, mass detentions, and family separations” as a betrayal of the gospel.

Their joint pastoral letter emphasizes the dignity of every person and urges the faithful to welcome immigrants as neighbors, not criminals.

Archbishop W. Shawn McKnight and Bishops Carl Kemme and Gerald Vincke even warn that treating migrants as “mere problems to be solved” would make us “less merciful, less just, less human.”

This stance is striking for MAGA-centered Kansas, a state Trump won by 16 ponts last year.

The bishops stress that Christian faith demands compassion and justice for vulnerable families. The raids are explicitly part of President Trump’s intensified ICE campaign, and Catholic leaders across MAGA country have been sounding the alarm all summer.

In Tennessee, the three bishops warned that recent deportation raids have “spread fear” throughout immigrant neighborhoods, creating a chilling climate even in houses of worship.

They decried a disturbing “lack of due process” behind the operations, noting parishioners now fear being detained simply for attending Mass.

In West Virginia, Bishop Mark Brennan similarly urged people to “affirm the humanity of all immigrants, regardless of legal status” and to pray for officials to have the courage to do the right thing.

He reminded the faithful that God will be the “final judge of our actions” in this crisis.

Kansas’s bishops acknowledge law enforcement’s role but stress that working migrants — those “paying taxes, sacrificing for their families and following our laws” — deserve “not fear and intimidation but protection, solidarity and a welcoming community.”

Addressed to “the people of God in Kansas and to all people of good will,” the pastoral underscores that these bishops see beyond politics: this is a moral imperative.

The moral clarity is unmistakable: even in deep-red America, church leaders are calling Trump’s ICE raids what they are — contrary to gospel values.

Their united voice offers hope and challenges all Americans to demand policies guided by mercy, not terror.

This is faith in action at its boldest — an urgent plea for justice that may reverberate far beyond Kansas.

Pope Leo, who criticized Trump’s immigration raids before his election and made the defense of immigrant dignity a hallmark of his pontificate, will surely be proud of these bishops’ courageous stand.

Letters from Leo exists for moments like this.

When Catholic bishops in the heart of Trump country rise up to defend migrants and the gospel, their witness cannot be drowned out by the president’s latest antics.

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