A senior official in US President Donald Trump's administration has publicly invited the head of the Catholic Church to observe US immigration enforcement firsthand,intensifying an already fraught relationship between Washington and the Vatican.
Tom Homan, widely known as Trump's 'border czar', said he would welcome Pope Leo XIV to join an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ride-along, arguing that critics of the administration's policies do not fully understand the realities at the US-Mexico border.
Speaking at a TurningPoint USA event, Homan said he would be willing to 'sit down and talk' with the pope, emphasising that stricter border enforcement is, in his view, rooted in humanitarian concerns.
Theinvitationcomes amid escalating tensions between the Trump administration and the Vatican, with Pope Leo XIV repeatedly criticising US immigration policies as 'inhumane' and 'morally indefensible.' Those remarks have drawn sharp pushback from US officials, including Homan, who has defended the administration's hardline stance.
Homan argued that lax border policies encourage vulnerable migrants to undertake dangerous journeys, often at the hands of criminal networks. He suggested that if critics, including the pope, witnessed enforcement operations firsthand, their perspectives might change.
'An open border is the most inhumane thing you can do,' Homan said. 'When you make that promise to the whole world, the most vulnerable people will give their life's savings to the cartels to make that dangerous journey.'
🇺🇸 Tom Homan has invited the Pope on an ICE ride-along after Pope Leo criticised US deportations, arguing he “doesn’t understand” how border enforcement works.Homan pointed to a sharp drop in illegal crossings under Donald Trump, linking it to fewer crimes, deaths, and drugs…pic.twitter.com/btO201ARjL
Theclashreflects a broader and increasingly public divide between the US government and the Vatican. While Pope Leo XIV has positioned himself as a vocal advocate for migrants and humanitarian protections, the Trump administration has prioritised strict enforcement and border security as central pillars of its policy agenda.
The dispute has not been limited to immigration. Differences have also emerged over foreign policy, including the ongoing conflict involving Iran, further deepening the rift between the two sides.
Despite the heated rhetoric, there have been signs of attempts to ease tensions. The pope recently indicated he has no interest in engaging in a direct political confrontation with Trump, suggesting that some of his earlier remarks had been misinterpreted as personal criticism.
Source: International Business Times UK
