Border czar Tom Homan just publicly invited Pope Leo XIV to join him on a ride-along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The goal is to give the pontiff a firsthand look at the Trump administration’s perspective on border security. Homan, who identifies as a lifelong Catholic, believes that if the Pope saw the operations on the ground, he might better grasp the humanitarian necessity of enforcing immigration laws.
During a TurningPoint USA event, Homan stated, “I’ll sit down and talk to him, because they’re talking about something they don’t understand.” For Homan, this isn’t just about policy; it’s about the safety of those who might otherwise fall victim to dangerous cartels.
Per the NY Post, he emphasized his stance by saying, “An open border is the most inhumane thing you can do.” He argued that when a government makes promises that invite people to travel, “the most vulnerable people will give their life’s savings to the cartels to make that dangerous journey.”
I wonder if they know that Pope Leo didn’t say any names, so they identified themselves in the statements
Homan also defended the current administration’s record by pointing to specific statistics. He noted that President Trump has managed to get illegal immigration down by about 97%. He framed this as a massive win for human rights, asking how many women were saved from being exploited and how many children were spared from dying during the journey.
He also highlighted the impact on national security, questioning how much fentanyl was prevented from entering the country to kill Americans. He remains firm that Trump is a remarkable leader for the nation.
This invitation comes after Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, labeled the administration’s immigration policies as “inhumane” and “morally indefensible.” It is part of a much larger, and frankly, quite messy rift between the White House and the Vatican. The tension escalated recently when the Pope suggested the president should find an off-ramp for the conflict in Iran and criticized the president’s rhetoric regarding the Iranian people.
Trump responded on Truth Social by calling the Pope “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” He also took issue with the pontiff for allegedly thinking it was acceptable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons.
The friction between the two has left many American Catholics feeling caught in the middle. According to CNN, while nearly 6 in 10 Catholic voters supported Trump in the 2024 election, many are now questioning his approach.
One voter, Lola Reese, mentioned that while she likes the president, she thinks he needs to calm down and stop the streak of meanness. Another, Anita Bauman, called the president’s comments about the Pope “colossally stupid” and argued that trying to school the pontiff on theology is a bad idea.
The situation hasn’t been helped by other controversial moves from the president. Trump previously posted an AI-generated image to Truth Social that depicted him as a Christ-like figure healing a sick person. While he later claimed he thought the image portrayed him as a doctor, it was widely viewed as offensive by many Catholics.
Mary Meehan, a longtime parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Annunciation Parish in Brooklyn, shared that the image was hurtful because it felt like the president didn’t realize the pain he was causing to people who love both God and him.
Despite the back-and-forth, Pope Leo XIV has tried to dial down the temperature. He recently told reporters that he has no interest in debating the president. He noted that his comments were not meant to be a direct challenge to the White House.
The US is home to roughly 50 million adult Catholics, making them a crucial voting bloc. Political scientist Ryan Burge has noted that this conflict is unlikely to help the president with these voters in the midterm elections, especially since Pope Leo is viewed very favorably by Americans. As it stands, the divide between the administration’s border enforcement strategy and the Vatican’s moral stance remains wide. So a ride-along with ICE might not do the trick.
Published: Apr 24, 2026 07:40 am