Pritzker Discusses Trump’s Chicago Immigration Enforcement with Pope Francis

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this week, where the two Illinois natives discussed immigration enforcement and exchanged gifts during a private audience facilitated by Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich.

During their meeting, the Democratic governor and the pontiff shared concerns over President Donald Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz,” a controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiative targeting undocumented immigrants in the Chicago area.

“Pope Leo XIV’s message of hope, compassion, unity and peace resonates with Illinoisans of all faiths and traditions,” Pritzker said in a statement following the meeting. The governor told Chicago’s NBC affiliate that the Pope expressed strong feelings about ICE operations and was interested in hearing Pritzker’s perspective on the situation.

According to Pritzker, the Pope was particularly encouraged to learn that the enforcement operation appeared to be winding down in Chicago. The governor noted that Leo agreed with his sentiments about “the people of Chicago stood up against the oppression that’s been brought on immigrants.”

This meeting comes amid heightened tensions between federal immigration authorities and Illinois leadership. Earlier this month, a group of U.S. bishops released a statement, supported by Pope Leo, criticizing certain aspects of ICE operations, including mass deportations. The statement, approved by a 216-5 vote with three abstentions, expressed concern about “a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement.”

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Illinois, has previously questioned whether individuals who oppose abortion while supporting what he termed the “inhuman treatment of immigrants” could genuinely consider themselves “pro-life.” While acknowledging that nations have the right to establish their own immigration laws, he emphasized the importance of treating people with dignity.

“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts; there’s a system of justice,” the Pope told Italian media previously, though he clarified that “no one has said that the United States should have open borders.”

The meeting represents a significant diplomatic engagement for Pritzker, who has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Federal officials have previously criticized Pritzker for his handling of anti-ICE protests in Chicago, accusing him of ignoring “chaotic anti-ICE rioters” who disrupted federal operations.

The governor, who is Jewish, described the audience with the Catholic leader as deeply moving. “You could feel his humanity,” Pritzker remarked. “It was a special moment, even for this Jewish boy.”

In a lighthearted exchange during their meeting, Pritzker presented the Pope with a case of “Da Pope” beer from Illinois brewery Burning Bush. “We’ll put that in the fridge,” Leo reportedly quipped with a smile. The governor also extended an invitation for the pontiff to visit Chicago.

Chicago last hosted a papal visit in 1979 when Pope John Paul II held a public audience at Grant Park. Pope Leo XIV’s connection to Illinois has special significance, as he is the first pontiff with ties to the state, creating a unique bond between the Vatican and the Land of Lincoln.

The meeting underscores the increasingly prominent role religious leaders are playing in contentious political debates, particularly surrounding immigration policy and enforcement practices in the United States. As federal and state authorities continue to clash over immigration enforcement priorities, Pope Leo’s perspective adds a significant moral dimension to the ongoing national conversation.