White House says no to Catholic bishops' call for Christmas pause in immigration enforcement

Pope Leo XIV says countries have right to control their borders but says migrants should be treated humanely Pope Leo XIV rejected the idea that he or the church is in favor of open borders, saying countries have the right to "determine who and how and when people enter." Florida's Catholic bishops made an appeal on Monday for a pause in immigration enforcement for the Christmas holidays, but the White House said operations will continue. The appeal to President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops. "The border has been secured," Wenski wrote. "The initial work of identifying and removing dangerous criminals has been accomplished to a great degree. Over half a million people have been deported this year, and nearly two million more have voluntarily self-deported." "At this point, the maximum enforcement approach of treating irregular immigrants en masse means that now many of these arrest operations inevitably sweep up numbers of people who are not criminals but just here to work," he continued. "It should be noted that a significant majority of those detained in Alligator Alcatraz have no criminal background." The archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, raises his hand while addressing a crowd during a panel on immigration at Georgetown University in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP) He noted that migrant sweeps sometimes include people with legal authorization to be in the U.S. and that surveys show Americans believe immigration enforcement operations are going too far. "Eventually these cases may be resolved, but this takes many months causing great sorrow for their families ... A climate of fear and anxiety is infecting not only the irregular migrant but also family members and neighbors who are legally in the country," Wenski said. "Since these effects are part of enforcement operations, we request that the government pause apprehension and round-up activities during the Christmas season," he said. "Such a pause would show a decent regard for the humanity of these families. Now is not the time to be callous toward the suffering caused by immigration enforcement." The White House did not directly address the appeal for a holiday pause, but did say that enforcement activities would be business as usual. "President Trump was elected based on his promise to the American people to deport criminal illegal aliens. And he’s keeping that promise," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to The Associated Press. Wenski, like many other Catholic leaders, has been an outspoken advocate for treating illegal immigrants humanely. DHS PACKAGES LATEST ICE ARRESTS AS 'CHRISTMAS GIFT TO AMERICANS' The White House said immigration enforcement activities would be business as usual. (Getty Images) In September, he joined other Catholic leaders on a panel at Georgetown University criticizing the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration crackdown for splitting up families, inciting fear and upending church life. Wenski also cited the contributions illegal immigrants make to the U.S. economy. "If...

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