Border Czar Homan Tells Catholic Church to Fix Internal Problems, Stay Out of Immigration
Tom Homan criticized Catholic Church involvement in immigration policy after Trump's clash with Pope Leo XIV, saying church should focus on internal reforms.
White House border czar Tom Homan told the Catholic Church to focus on its own problems instead of immigration policy, escalating tensions between the Trump administration and America's first pope following Pope Leo XIV's challenge to Trump on immigration enforcement.
"I love the Catholic Church," Homan told reporters Tuesday. "I just wish they'd stick to fixing the church because" — the border chief's remarks were cut short in the available transcript, but his message was clear: religious institutions should stay out of immigration enforcement.
The comments came after President Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV on social media following the pontiff's public opposition to mass deportation operations. The American-born pope has emerged as one of the administration's most prominent religious critics on immigration policy.
Homan's rebuke reflects growing frustration within the Trump administration over religious opposition to its immigration crackdown. Catholic bishops and Protestant denominations have declared sanctuary policies and criticized deportation raids that separate families.
The clash puts Trump in an unusual position — feuding with the first American pope in Catholic history. Pope Leo XIV's American background has given his criticism of U.S. immigration policy unusual resonance among Catholic voters, who represent roughly 20% of the electorate.
Immigration enforcement has created a theological and political divide between the administration's law-and-order approach and religious groups' emphasis on sanctuary and compassion for migrants. Catholic Church teaching explicitly calls for welcoming strangers and protecting vulnerable immigrants.
The Vatican has not responded to Homan's comments, but Pope Leo XIV has scheduled appearances this week that could address the growing rift. Trump's base includes significant Catholic support, making the religious dispute a potential political liability.
Watch for additional administration officials to echo Homan's line as the White House seeks to isolate religious critics and frame immigration enforcement as a secular law enforcement issue rather than a moral question.