In Minnesota, US cardinals and pope’s ambassador decry mass deportations and call for reconciliation

Catholic Leaders Denounce Minnesota Immigration Crackdown, Call for Reconciliation

Two American cardinals and the Vatican’s ambassador to the United States condemned mass deportations in Minnesota while urging reconciliation during a special Mass for migrants held in St. Paul on Friday.

Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington described this winter’s immigration enforcement as “almost a siege” that unfolded in “literally the heartland of our country,” creating fear and division within communities.

“Catholic teaching supports the nation’s right to control its border and, in these cases, to deport those who’ve been convicted of serious crimes,” McElroy acknowledged. “Seeking to deport millions of men and women and children — families who often lived here for decades, many children who don’t know other countries — is contrary to Catholic faith and, more fundamentally, contrary to basic human dignity.”

The Mass, celebrated at the University of St. Thomas chapel, featured Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, Cardinal Christophe Pierre (the apostolic nuncio to the United States), Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and more than two dozen other Catholic bishops showing solidarity with migrant communities.

Minnesota became a focal point of immigration tensions earlier this year when federal enforcement operations led to violent confrontations between officers and protesters. The situation escalated tragically with the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during protests in Minneapolis.

Archbishop Hebda spoke candidly about his anger when migrant communities became too fearful to attend church while “masked men” — referring to federal law enforcement — patrolled streets during the winter crackdown. Despite these strong emotions, he emphasized the importance of reconciliation.

“That ministry of reconciliation has to be ours, in the Twin Cities and around the world,” Hebda said in his homily to the assembled faithful, which included seminarians, college community members, and school principals.

The enforcement surge in Minnesota saw thousands of federal officers in daily confrontations with activists. Faith leaders from various denominations participated in protests, with approximately 100 clergy members arrested at Minnesota’s largest airport after refusing to disperse during a major mobilization last month.

While many religious leaders actively joined protests, the Catholic leadership has maintained a more balanced approach. After the fatal shootings, Hebda emphasized the need “to lower the temperature of rhetoric” and “to rid our hearts of the hatreds and prejudices that prevent us from seeing each other as brothers and sisters.” He specifically noted this applied equally to undocumented residents and law enforcement officers.

During Friday’s gathering, the prelates spoke of praying for everyone affected — from families of those killed to migrants, their supporters, and “the ICE men and women, too,” as McElroy put it, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

“We all need to engage in healing and reconciliation,” McElroy added. “It will take a long time.”

When questioned whether Catholics — the majority of whom reportedly voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 — might view advocacy for migrants as the church becoming politically involved, the cardinals emphasized that both religion and politics should serve the common good.

Cardinal Tobin noted that while one’s first allegiance is to God, Scripture contains more exhortations about welcoming strangers than loving one’s neighbor. “The Creator figured that there was a better chance we’d love people who we thought looked like us. We had to be reminded frequently about everybody else,” Tobin explained.

Advocacy for migrants was a cornerstone of the late Pope Francis’s papacy, who frequently clashed with Trump over U.S. border policies. Under Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, the Catholic Church has continued advocating for humane treatment of immigrants worldwide and immigration reform in the United States — a goal that has eluded Congress for decades.

“The longer we refuse to grapple with this issue in the political arena, the more divisive and violent it becomes,” Hebda remarked in January.

This gathering in St. Paul reflects the Church’s ongoing engagement with immigration issues at both pastoral and policy levels, as Catholic leaders continue navigating the complex intersection of faith, human dignity, and national sovereignty during a period of heightened tensions around immigration enforcement.