Catholic Bishops Condemn Trump’s Deportation Policies

As the crisis at America’s southern border worsens, the leadership of the Catholic Church in the U.S. appears more concerned with feelings than national security. On Sunday, Paul Coakley the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops criticized President Trump’s renewed crackdown on illegal immigration, claiming it is “instilling fear in a rather widespread manner” across immigrant communities.

Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation, Coakley lamented what he described as “random deportations,” while suggesting the U.S. government should “be generous in welcoming immigrants.” Though he acknowledged the right to secure borders, his overall message aligned closely with the open-borders rhetoric that has come to define the left’s approach to immigration.

“People have a right to live in security and without fear of random deportations,” Coakley said, adding that even those who are here illegally “don’t forfeit their human dignity.”

While few argue against treating all people humanely, what Coakley and his colleagues continue to ignore is the national catastrophe created by decades of lax border enforcement. In fiscal year 2024, over 2.4 million illegal crossings were recorded at the southern border a historic high. And under President Biden, the crisis exploded, with over 7 million illegal entries during his term alone. That’s not compassion it’s chaos.

The bishops’ “special message” criticized Trump’s immigration enforcement, focusing on:

• A supposed “climate of fear” caused by deportations and immigration raids

• The “vilification” of migrants by political leaders

• Concerns about access to pastoral care for detained illegal immigrants

• Opposition to “indiscriminate mass deportation” policies

It’s a message that could have come straight out of a progressive think tank.

Even more telling, the bishops’ statement was endorsed by Pope Leo XIV, who has consistently pushed globalist and left-leaning views, including open criticism of what he calls “inhuman treatment” of migrants by American conservatives. The pope has even implied that supporting immigration enforcement contradicts a pro-life worldview an argument that defies logic and cheapens what it means to protect innocent life.

Let’s be honest: the real victims of illegal immigration are the American citizens in overwhelmed communities, the overworked border patrol agents risking their lives, and the families mourning loved ones lost to crimes committed by repeat border offenders. Sanctuary policies and soft-handed enforcement only fuel the cartels, increase human trafficking, and drive down wages for legal workers.

Yes, human dignity matters. But so does the rule of law. And President Trump is one of the few leaders in modern history willing to enforce it.

As Archbishop Coakley continues his media tour bemoaning “fear” in parishes, Americans are left wondering: where was this outrage when citizens were being harmed, jobs were being lost, and drugs were flooding across the border?

In times like these, the country needs moral clarity, not moral posturing.

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