US Border Chief clashes with catholic church over immigration and security: Video
White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan has sharply rejected the Catholic Church’s condemnation of US immigration enforcement, insisting that strong border controls are both a sovereign right and a moral imperative.
Speaking outside the White House, Homan argued, in remarks first reported by RSBN, that securing the border ultimately “saves lives”, citing the scale of the fentanyl crisis in the United States.
“A quarter million Americans died due to the fentanyl crisis. So securing borders saves lives. I wish the Catholic Church would understand that,” he said. “We have the right to secure our borders, just as they have the right to secure their facility, and the penalties for entering their facilities are much worse than ours. We’re going to enforce the law and by doing that, we’re saving a lot of lives.”
Homan, who described himself as a lifelong Catholic, urged Church leaders to reflect on their own institution before criticising US policy. “I’ll say it not only as Border Czar, but as a Catholic: I think they need to spend time fixing the Catholic Church,” he told reporters.
He also defended the administration’s approach to mass deportations and strict border enforcement, arguing that it deters migrants from undertaking dangerous journeys controlled by criminal cartels. The US, he said, now has “a pretty good handle on who’s coming in, what’s coming in, where it’s coming in, why it’s coming in” after what he described as years of neglect by the previous government.
His comments came after the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly approved a statement opposing mass deportations and calling for an end to dehumanising rhetoric aimed at migrants. Pope Leo XIV has similarly urged religious leaders to defend those affected by US immigration policies.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
