- Pope Leo XIV sharply criticized Trump’s deportation policies as “extremely disrespectful” and a betrayal of human dignity.
- Surging removals—over 527,000 in 2025—are fracturing communities, disproportionately impacting Latino, Catholic families.
- The Pope urged humane treatment and religious rights for detainees, pressing U.S. authorities to allow pastoral care and Communion.
ROME—In a pointed escalation of his ongoing clash with the White House, Pope Leo XIV unleashed a blistering critique of President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration policies on Thursday, labeling the administration’s tactics as “extremely disrespectful” and a stark betrayal of human dignity.
Speaking from the sun-drenched terraces of Castel Gandolfo, the pontiff’s summer retreat overlooking the Alban Hills, the Chicago-born leader didn’t mince words, framing the deportations as not just a policy failure but a moral one.
The Pope’s remarks, delivered casually to a gaggle of reporters during what was supposed to be a quiet afternoon respite, cut straight to the heart of a policy that’s been roiling the nation since Trump reclaimed the Oval Office.
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“We have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” Leo XIV said, his voice steady but laced with unmistakable frustration.
“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts. There’s a system of justice.”
It’s the kind of statement that lands like a thunderclap in an already polarized Washington, where Trump’s deportation machine is churning at full throttle.
Deportation Surge on Pace to Shatter Records
Just last month, the administration proudly touted figures showing over 527,000 removals so far in 2025, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin boasting in an official release that they’re “on pace to shatter historic records and deport nearly 600,000 illegal aliens by the end of President Donald Trump’s first year since returning to office.”
Add in another 1.6 million who’ve reportedly self-deported, and the numbers paint a picture of sweeping upheaval—one that’s hitting hardest in communities where undocumented families have put down roots for decades.
Leo XIV, the first American to don the papal tiara, knows these stakes intimately.
Raised in the working-class neighborhoods of suburban Chicago, he’s long been a vocal advocate for the marginalized, drawing from his own Midwestern upbringing to champion the very Latin American Catholics now bearing the brunt of ICE raids.
Data from a recent UCLA analysis underscores the human toll: as many as nine out of 10 detainees are Latinos, the vast majority practicing Catholics whose faith has become a flashpoint in detention centers.
Faith Leaders Condemn Anti-Christianity Motives
America’s Roman Catholic bishops have been unequivocal in their opposition, slamming the “indiscriminate mass deportation” as a direct affront to Gospel teachings on welcoming the stranger.
Yet the Pope was careful to thread the needle, acknowledging the legitimate boundaries of sovereignty.
“No one has said that the United States should have open borders,” he clarified.
“I think every country has the right to determine who enters, how, and when.”
But then came the gut punch:
“when people have lived good lives—many of them for 10, 15, 20 years—treating them in a way that is, to say the least, extremely disrespectful, and with instances of violence, is troubling.”
Those “instances of violence” aren’t abstract—they’re the stuff of nightly news and viral videos: families torn apart at dawn raids, children left sobbing in school parking lots, and reports of rough handling in overcrowded facilities.
Protests have erupted coast to coast, from the bustling streets of New York—where clergy-led marches clogged Federal Plaza just months ago—to quieter vigils in the heartland.
And the Pope’s words echo a growing chorus from faith leaders who’ve taken to the barricades, arguing that Trump’s agenda isn’t just tough on borders; it’s tough on souls.
Pope Voices Troubles with Detention Centers
This isn’t Leo XIV’s first rodeo in the ring with Trump. Just days earlier, he waded into a fresh controversy over religious rights in detention, urging U.S. authorities to let detained migrants receive Holy Communion—a basic sacrament that’s been withheld in at least one Illinois facility.
“Authorities should allow pastoral workers to assist with the needs of these people,” he implored, invoking migrants’ “dignity and religious liberty.”
It’s a direct challenge to an administration that’s framed immigration enforcement as a national security imperative, led by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who’s toured Salvadoran prisons to showcase the model’s “success” while vowing to “root out” threats at home.
Trump Threatens Democrats Protecting Migrants
The timing of the Pope’s comments feels almost scripted for maximum impact.
They come hot on the heels of a clandestine Vatican summit between Leo XIV and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker—Trump’s self-declared “nemesis” and another Chicago son.
Pritzker, who’s made shielding immigrants a cornerstone of his blue-state resistance, jetted to Rome earlier this week for what he described as a heart-to-heart on the front lines.
“The Pope had read about my work in Illinois to stand up for immigrants and he believes strongly that it’s our obligation as human beings to stand up for one another and especially because immigrants are often the most vulnerable,” Pritzker told NBC Chicago afterward, his tone a mix of reverence and resolve.
Pritzker’s no stranger to Trump’s ire; the president called for his arrest last month after Illinois pushed back against federal deportation orders, accusing the governor of harboring “criminal aliens.”
Pritzker fired back with unfiltered candor, telling reporters, “I genuinely think there is something wrong with him.”
He went further, wishing aloud that Trump’s family would stage an intervention: “I wish that his family would intervene, because I do think he needs mental health help, and I don’t think anybody around him that works for him is going to do that, because they’re benefiting from his failure of mental health, his dementia.”
Economists Warn Trump’s Immigration Policies Are Tanking the Economy
Trump’s crackdown isn’t just reshaping demographics; it’s tanking sectors like agriculture and hospitality, where immigrant labor props up the economy.
Even beer sales are feeling the pinch: Modelo and Corona’s parent company, Constellation Brands, slashed forecasts amid fears of workforce shortages.
Why This Matters in the First Place
Catholic organizations, from diocesan aid groups to national advocacy networks, are mobilizing legal challenges and sanctuary networks, betting that moral suasion might sway what ballots couldn’t.
For Leo XIV, perched in his hilltop haven, this feels personal—a Chicago kid turned global shepherd calling out a policy that shreds the social fabric he grew up loving.
His words hang in the Roman air like incense: a reminder that borders may divide, but humanity shouldn’t.
Whether they pierce the echo chamber of Mar-a-Lago remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: the Pope isn’t backing down.
In a world of soundbites and spin, his voice cuts through, demanding not just justice, but compassion.
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