Florida’s Catholic bishops are asking Trump to stop the Christmas immigration crackdown
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Florida’s Catholic bishops appealed Monday for a temporary halt to immigration enforcement over the Christmas holidays, but the White House said operations would continue.
The petition addressed to President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was issued by Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski and signed by seven other members of the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“The border is secure,” Wenski wrote. “The first task of identifying and removing dangerous criminals has been accomplished on a large scale. More than half a million people have been deported this year, and nearly two million have voluntarily deported themselves.”
“Currently, the most widely used method of treating illegal immigrants in large numbers means that most of these arrests are sweeping away the population of people who are not criminals but who are here to work,” he continued. “It should be noted that most of those incarcerated at Alligator Alcatraz have no criminal background.”
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Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski raises his hand as he addresses the crowd during a panel on immigration at Georgetown University in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP)
He also pointed out that immigration sweeps sometimes include people who are legally authorized to be in the US and that polls show Americans believe immigration enforcement is going too far.
“Eventually these cases may be resolved, but this takes many months and causes great distress to their families… The climate of fear and anxiety affects not only the illegal immigrant but also family members and neighbors who are in this country legally,” said Wenski.
“Since these results are part of law enforcement programs, we ask the government to stop doubting and mixing things up during the Christmas period,” he said. “Such a reprieve would show respect for the humanity of these families. Now is not the time to ignore the suffering caused by immigration enforcement.”
The White House did not directly address the appeal of the holiday suspension, but said enforcement operations would be business as usual.
“President Trump was elected on his promise to the American people to drive out criminals from the neighborhood. And he is keeping that promise,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement sent to the Associated Press.
Wenski, like many other Catholic leaders, has been a staunch advocate of humane treatment of illegal immigrants.
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The White House said immigration enforcement operations will be business as usual. (Getty Images)
In September, he joined other Catholic leaders in a rally at Georgetown University denouncing the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants for separating families, fueling fear and upsetting the church.
Wenski also highlighted the contributions that illegal immigrants make to the American economy.
“If you ask people in agriculture, you ask people in the service industry, you ask health workers, you ask people who work in the construction sector, they will tell you that some high-level workers are immigrants,” said Wenski. “Enforcement is always part of any immigration policy, but we have to adjust it and humanize it.”
Wenski joined the “Knights on Bikes” ministry, an initiative led by the Knights of Columbus that brings attention to the spiritual needs of immigrants held in immigration detention centers, including “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades. He recalled praying the rosary in the scorching heat outside its walls before receiving permission a few days later to celebrate Mass inside the facility.
“Inviting these detainees to pray, even in this humiliating situation, is a way of emphasizing and asking for their dignity,” he said.
Last month, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted a “special message” in which they criticized Trump’s agenda of mass deportations and the “defamation” of illegal immigrants, expressing concern over the fear and concern of the increasing attacks of immigrants on communities, and the denial of pastoral care in detention centers.
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Pope Leo XIV urged the local bishops to talk about issues of social justice. (Grzegorz Galazka/Archivio Grzegorz Galazka/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
The special message was approved by Pope Leo XIV and Bishop Ronald Hicks, the pope who recently named him the next archbishop of New York, succeeding Cardinal Timothy Dolan as leader of the country’s second-largest Catholic diocese. Dolan announced earlier this year that he would step down when he turns 75, which is required by Catholic law.
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“I think we need to look for ways to treat people with humanity, to treat people with the dignity they have,” said Leo last month. “If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to handle that. There are courts, there is a justice system.”
The Pope has previously called on local bishops to speak out about social justice concerns and suggested that people who support “the brutal treatment of immigrants in the United States” may not be part of life.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
