Pope Leo XIV has lashed out at US President Donald Trump’s administration over its stance on immigration policy.
In an interview for a book by Elise Allen titled Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century, the Pope said that while he acknowledges Trump has at times made clear his concern about issues of human dignity and the promotion of peace, he condemns the current immigration policy of his administration.
“In those efforts, I would want to support him. The United States is a power player on the world stage; we have to recognize that,” he said.
Trump Criticized for His Immigration Policy
Pope Leo observed that “at times, choices seem driven more by economic interests than by respect for human dignity,” highlighting the Trump administration’s immigration agenda, especially its emphasis on mass deportations and the separation of families.
He affirmed that the Church remains committed to opposing such measures.
At the same time, he noted that he had never personally met or spoken with President Trump, but mentioned that his brother Louis had interacted with him and had been outspoken about his political views.
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Pope Leo also spoke about the ongoing war in Gaza between Israeli forces and Hamas, noting that the term “genocide” is gaining traction. He explained that the Holy See does not believe it can make a formal declaration at this stage, since genocide has a very specific technical definition.
However, he pointed out that the issue is being raised more and more, including by two human rights groups in Israel.
When President Trump began his second term on January 20, 2025, he focused more on immigration enforcement. He kept his campaign promise, stating that he would carry out the largest deportation operation in American history.
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This included executive orders expanding the powers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), fast-tracking removals, and reviving elements of policies from his first term, such as family separations under certain conditions.
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Purpose. Over the last 4 years, the prior administration invited, administered, and oversaw an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration into the United States. Millions of illegal aliens crossed our borders or were permitted to fly directly into the United States on commercial flights and allowed to settle in American communities, in violation of longstanding Federal laws,” Trump stated.
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These actions have led to hundreds of thousands of detentions and deportations, often involving transfers to facilities like Guantanamo Bay and third-world country agreements.
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