Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota encouraged Catholics to approach the Trump administration’s immigration policies with dialogue rather than “demonization,” arguing that concerns about border security, child trafficking, and missing migrant children raise serious moral questions that should not be dismissed as anti-humanitarian.
“There are darn good reasons, moral reasons, for being concerned about an open border,” Bishop Barron said in a FOX News Digital interview published May 24.
He pointed in particular to human trafficking, especially of children, and cases of minors who were lost track of in the immigration process as serious concerns that warrant attention.
The bishop also highlighted comments from border czar Tom Homan, a Catholic, saying he was deeply moved by Homan’s call for stricter border security during a recent White House call. According to Bishop Barron, Homan spoke passionately about the “terrible destruction caused by an open border.”
“He was saying, we can't simply fall for the simplistic view that an open border is humanitarian, that an open border is kind to the stranger,” Bishop Barron said.
“It's not just, well, the bad guy, Republicans, who want to enforce immigration laws. It's Republicans for very good moral reasons who want to enforce immigration law,” the bishop said.
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Bishop Barron argued that it is unfair to portray conservatives or Republicans as simply “anti-humanitarian” for supporting immigration enforcement. He said the Catholic left often promotes bridge-building and dialogue “until it comes to conservatives.”
At the same time, there are “values on both sides” of the debate, he said, urging the Church to foster more conversation rather than political condemnation.
“Let's build bridges of conversation. That's a role the Church can play,” he said. “What I don't want from the Church is a kind of demonization of the Trump administration.”
Turning to Trump’s recent criticism of Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Barron said he has continued to encourage more direct dialogue between leaders in the administration and Vatican officials.
“Part of the problem in the Trump-Pope battle,” he said, “was that the President was treating the Pope too much as a politician.”
Bishop Barron said a pope’s role is to “use the moral structure of the Church’s teaching to move prudential judgment in the right direction,” while a president’s responsibility is to “make those prudential judgments.”
He recommended that leading Catholics inside the Trump administration, such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch, meet with Vatican officials for a “real conversation” about those questions.
"The church provides a moral framework. Terrific,” Bishop Barron said. “Now, let's have a real conversation with those whose job it is to make that decision but have it conditioned by this moral framework, that would be more fruitful.”
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