The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops this month issued a special pastoral message condemning “indiscriminate mass deportation” and calling for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric — a well-intentioned but dangerously naive intervention into a matter of national security. The bishops voted overwhelmingly for the message at their November plenary, but their moral posturing fails to reckon with the chaos at our borders and the real human cost of lawlessness.
Enter Border Czar Tom Homan, who — as a lifelong Catholic and a public servant sworn to protect American citizens — fired back bluntly, telling critics the Catholic Church’s recent message was wrong and even saying the institution needs fixing in this regard. Homan defended enforcement actions as moral and necessary, arguing that securing the border prevents human trafficking and saves lives rather than diminishes dignity.
Homan was clear about priorities: the administration will focus on criminal aliens, convicted offenders, and gang members with final removal orders — not law-abiding migrants who play by the rules. That is not cruelty, it is common-sense governance; the country that cannot control its borders cannot protect its citizens or enforce any law equally.
Rather than praise a plan that prioritizes public safety, far too many in the elite class rush to virtue-signal and lecture from comfortable pews and college campuses, forgetting the victims of open-border policies. Even within the Catholic community there has been pushback: prominent lay groups and conservative outlets pointed out that some bishops’ statements risk sowing confusion and undermining law enforcement efforts.
Too often the mainstream press treats enforcement of immigration law as some moral failing instead of the only realistic policy that defends American families and neighborhoods. When a career lawman like Homan speaks with force and clarity, conservatives should stand with him and stop allowing bureaucratic sanctimony to dictate border policy.
Make no mistake: defending the rule of law and protecting citizens is the truest expression of compassion in a broken immigration system. We can and should reform our system — but reform does not mean surrender, and it certainly does not mean letting mobs or cartels decide who comes and goes. The real moral failure would be to do nothing while our sovereignty is stripped away.
