Pope Leo Presses U.S. Bishops to Fight Harder Against Trump Deportation Raids
While some bishops have spoken up, the pope says the entire Church must act “with one voice” against cruelty at the border.
A newly surfaced video shows Pope Leo XIV urging the U.S. Church to speak out against President Trump’s treatment of migrants — telling immigrants that “the Church cannot stay silent before injustice.
In the footage, Pope Leo meets with a delegation of U.S. immigrants and tears up as he watches a video and hears stories of families terrorized by deportation raids.
The American pontiff thanked them for their courage and delivered an impassioned plea in the face of President Trump’s abuse of migrants.
“The Church cannot stay silent before injustice. You stand with me. And I stand with you,” Leo told the group.
These words — captured on video and now spreading rapidly — underline the pope’s resolve to confront Trump’s hardline immigration crackdown. He condemns the “inhuman” tactics of mass raids and family separations, insisting the Gospel demands a voice for the voiceless.
Calling Bishops to Stand United
Pope Leo’s candid remarks also reveal some frustration with U.S. Church leadership. He notes that too many bishops have offered only a timid response to Trump’s deportation campaign.
According to those present, Leo “expressed his desire that the U.S. Bishops’ Conference would speak strongly on this issue,” effectively urging a far more forceful, united front from the American hierarchy.
One participant recounted that the Holy Father “quickly said he wanted the Church in the United States to be more united and forceful on this issue” — a pointed call-out of the silence in some dioceses.
While Leo acknowledged many prelates have shown courage, he made clear that the Church can and must do more as migrants are dehumanized.
He even lamented that he “wishes [the bishops] were stronger in their own voice,” implicitly chiding the lack of collective outrage.
Yet there are signs of change under Pope Leo’s leadership.
As Letters from Leo reported over the summer, even in six deep-red “MAGA country” Catholic communities are mobilizing.
In fact, Catholics have become the most visible, organized counterweight to the renewed ICE raids.
Under Pope Leo, MAGA-Country Catholics Stand Up to Trump’s ICE Raids
Across MAGA country, Catholics are now the most visible, organized counterweight to Trump’s renewed ICE operations.
Parishioners and pastors are banding together to shelter immigrant families, and some local bishops in these states are now standing with them in defiance of the crackdown.
Pope Leo has openly praised these efforts, highlighting bishops in border states and conservative heartlands who have bravely spoken up.
This contrasts sharply with the ongoing quiet from certain prominent churchmen.
Bishop Robert Barron — one of the nation’s most recognizable Catholic figures and a member of Trump’s own religious liberty commission — has said nothing about the deportation crackdowns, even as federal agents sweep up parishioners.
Leo’s allies say such silence only underscores the urgency of the pope’s message.
Leo’s Leadership Galvanizes the Church
Pope Leo XIV’s bold advocacy is swiftly redefining the American Church’s posture on immigration.
In recent weeks, he has repeatedly clashed with Trump’s policies, framing the defense of migrants as a pro-life imperative and a test of the Church’s conscience. This new video of his meeting with migrants puts Leo’s moral clarity on full display.
Fourth Rebuke in Eight Days: Pope Leo Intensifies Clash with Trump Over Migrants
In his latest rebuke of Trumpism, Pope Leo praises immigrants as “agents of hope” and tells Catholics their faith is tested by how they welcome the stranger.
Pope Leo has made it plain that silence in the face of injustice is not an option. His leadership is galvanizing Catholics at the grassroots — and pressuring American bishops to live up to the Gospel call of justice and compassion.
In the words of Pope Leo himself, “You stand with me, and I stand with you” — a ringing invitation for the entire Church to unite and speak out for the dignity of migrant families.
Letters from Leo is open to anyone who wants to be informed and inspired by our pope — and to turn that inspiration into action that leaves America and the world more just, less cold, and more alive with hope.
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Yes!! Too many of our bishops have been too quiet. With one voice we can make change!
When I was practicing medicine in rural counties in Upstate New York, I was often asked what I thought about immigration. It was code for revealing my politics.
I replied, “I am all for it.” I explained that I was a product of an immigrant family, that my grandparents, my parents, all my relatives and children had done no harm to this Country, but had assimilated here, served in the military during its wars,and improved its prosperity and reputation.
Often they had to admit (as I suspected in these mill towns) they too were from recently immigrated families, and could with enthusiasm talk about their own families. Whether I was a Trump supporter or not became immaterial.