Pope Leo Implores Chicago Union Leaders to Defend Migrants Amid ICE Crackdown

As Trump’s ICE crackdown hits his hometown, the Pope implores union officials to defend the dignity of every worker and immigrant.

At the Vatican on Thursday, Pope Leo XIV met with a delegation of Chicago labor union leaders and delivered a passionate plea for solidarity with immigrants. The meeting came as President Trump’s new ICE crackdown was ramping up in the Pope’s hometown of Chicago.

“While recognizing that appropriate policies are necessary to keep communities safe, I encourage you to continue to advocate for society to respect the human dignity of the most vulnerable,” Leo urged the union officials.

In other words, even as law enforcement tightens, the pope implored these leaders to stand up against unjust crackdowns and champion the dignity of migrant families.

Pope Leo XIV shares a light moment with a Chicago labor leader, who gifted him a “Da Pope” T-shirt during their October 9 meeting at the Vatican.

The delegation — organized by the Catholic Labor Network — included members of major unions like the Chicago Federation of Labor, SEIU, Teamsters, UNITE HERE, the Machinists, and Laborers’ unions.

Leo, himself the first American pope and a Chicago native, warmly thanked the labor leaders for helping “to create a society where all can flourish.”

He praised their efforts to welcome and assist immigrants and refugees through concrete acts of support, such as food pantries and shelters.

The pope’s message was clear: continue these works of mercy and don’t let a climate of fear erode our shared humanity.

Chicago’s Cardinal Blase Cupich accompanied the union pilgrimage and affirmed that Pope Leo was fully briefed on the situation back home.

“I really didn’t have to tell him much at all, because he seemed to have a handle on what was going on,” Cupich said after the audience.

According to the Cardinal, Leo has urged U.S. bishops “to speak with one voice” on this issue, ensuring that defending immigrants remains at the forefront of the Church’s agenda.

On Thursday, Pope Leo placed his own zucchetto on a “little pope”. The Chicago children are the students who made headlines back in May for conducting a “mock conclave” at their school as a fun activity to understand the process.

“This has to be front and center right now. This is the issue of the day. And we can’t dance around it,” Cupich insisted, emphasizing the moral urgency.

American Catholic leaders across the country have indeed denounced the administration’s hardline tactics, which have split up families and spread fear that anyone without papers could be rounded up without warning.

The Trump Administration claims the crackdown is about public safety, but the Church’s response has been united in reminding authorities that immigrants are neighbors, not numbers.

“He [Leo] wants us to make sure, as bishops, that we speak out on behalf of the undocumented or anybody who’s vulnerable to preserve their dignity,” Cupich explained, “We all have to remember that we all share a common dignity as human beings.”

Earlier this week, that same message was echoed in dramatic fashion on Chicago’s South Side. Father Michael Pfleger — the fearless pastor of St. Sabina — went viral after bluntly challenging President Trump’s rhetoric on Chicago.

“Before you dare speak about any violence in Chicago, look into your mirror and address the violence coming from the White House,” Pfleger declared in an impassioned speech.

He urged the president to consider the harm caused by his own policies — from family separations to threats of military deployments — before castigating Chicago.

His fiery critique of the “reign of terror” emanating from Washington held up a mirror to the administration’s tactics and emboldened local residents.

As videos circulated of masked ICE agents sweeping up immigrants off city sidewalks in broad daylight, Pfleger’s voice became a rallying cry. It reinforced Pope Leo’s own insistence that leaders must protect the vulnerable rather than prey on people’s fears.

In this charged moment, Pope Leo XIV’s intervention offers a powerful moral counterpoint. He is calling on America’s labor movement — and by extension, all of us — to refuse to be complicit in cruelty.

By standing up for immigrants, welcoming minorities, and speaking with one voice against unjust policies, working people and faith leaders can, as Leo said, “put into practice the call of my beloved predecessor Francis” to serve those on the peripheries.

As the pope reminded the Chicago delegation, their solidarity with migrants, commitment to inclusivity, and even care for the environment are all part of building “a society where all can flourish.”

His plea to the union officials was ultimately a plea to the conscience of a nation: do not let an ICE crackdown — or any political agenda — make us forget that we “all share a common dignity as human beings.”

In Pope Leo’s view, defending that shared dignity is not optional — it is the issue of the day, and now is the time to stand together and act.

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