Border Czar Critiques Catholic Church on Immigration Policy

Tom Homan, the U.S. border czar, expressed strong criticism of the Catholic Church’s stance against mass deportations, arguing it undermines U.S. law enforcement and endangers lives. “The Catholic Church is wrong,” he stated, adding that he speaks not just as a border czar but as a lifelong Catholic. He believes the Church needs to address its own issues before criticizing U.S. immigration policies.

Homan’s remarks came during a White House briefing in response to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which recently condemned the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement strategies. They described the atmosphere around these policies as creating a “climate of fear and anxiety” among immigrants.

His critique followed comments from Pope Leo, calling for introspection on how immigrants are treated within the current enforcement landscape. Homan asserted that before the Church points fingers, they should “correct themselves” and highlighted the Vatican’s severe penalties for trespassing on its premises, indicating a level of hypocrisy among religious leaders.

“The message we need to convey globally is that crossing a border illegally is a crime,” Homan remarked, highlighting what he perceives as mixed messages from the Church.

He further articulated that, according to him, immigration policies under the Trump administration are both “lifesaving” and more humane compared to those of the Biden administration. Homan noted that vulnerable migrants often fall prey to violent cartels during perilous journeys, stating that more than 4,000 migrants have died trying to cross the border, in addition to thousands of U.S. deaths linked to fentanyl trafficking.

Emphasizing that “border security saves lives,” Homan urged that it’s essential for the Church to grasp this concept. He compared the Church’s need to protect its facilities to the U.S. right to secure its borders, pointing out that penalties for entering its properties are far stricter than those for illegal immigration.

In his view, the U.S. has “the most secure borders in the history of this country” due to rigorous enforcement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).