Border czar Tom Homan says Catholic Church is ‘wrong’ on immigration

Border czar Tom Homan criticized the Catholic Church Friday, saying its opposition to mass expulsions undermines U.S. law enforcement and costs lives.

“The Catholic Church is wrong,” Homan said. “I’m sorry. I’m a lifelong Catholic. I don’t just say this as border czar, I’ll say it as a Catholic. They need to spend time fixing the Catholic Church, in my opinion.”

Homan made the remarks at the White House in response to a question about the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which this week condemned President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and warned of “a climate of fear and anxiety” around immigration enforcement, according to Reuters.

White House border czar Tom Homan speaks to reporters outside the White House in Washington, DC, Friday, November 14, 2025. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The bishops’ statement follows recent comments by Pope Leo, who called for “deep reflection” on how migrants are treated under Trump, whose administration has aggressively carried out mass expulsions, according to Reuters.

Homan urged the Church to “fix itself” before criticizing US immigration policy and accused religious leaders of hypocrisy, noting that the Vatican imposes harsh sanctions for trespassing on its territory.

“So, according to them, the message that we should send to the whole world is that if you cross the border illegally, which is a crime, don’t worry,” Homan said.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful before his investiture mass in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican on May 18. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

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“If a federal judge orders you to be deported after due process, don’t worry about us, because there shouldn’t be mass deportations. Is that the message you’re sending to the world?”

Homan said the Trump administration’s immigration policy “saves lives” and is more humane than the Biden administration’s approach.

He argued that desperate migrants often rely on violent cartels to smuggle them across the border in dangerous conditions, saying more than 4,000 migrants have died during these journeys, while thousands of Americans have died from fentanyl smuggled across the border.

This division shows the southern border wall and the troops on the border. (Getty Images)

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“A secure border saves lives. I wish the Catholic Church understood that,” Homan said.

“We have the right to secure our borders, just like they have the right to secure their facilities. You cannot enter their facilities without being arrested. The penalties for entering their facilities are much worse than ours.”

Homan added that the United States has “the most secure border in the history of this country,” due to strong ICE enforcement.