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By Jordan King
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The first U.S. bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV has called for priests, deacons and parish leaders to accompany migrants to court and stand in solidarity with them.
Rev. Michael Pham, who was named bishop of San Diego, California, by Pope Leo in May, wrote a letter about the action on Wednesday, along with Rev. Felipe Pulido and Rev. Ramón Bejarano, both appointed by the previous pontiff, Pope Francis.
"On the morning of June 20th, which is International Refugee Day, a group of priests and faith leaders are planning to visit the federal court building to stand in solidarity with migrants who are making their court appearances," they wrote.
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Why It Matters
This call to action by Catholic leaders highlights growing faith-based opposition to President Donald Trump's mass deportation policy, which has drawn criticism from religious groups and the Vatican.
Just after Pope Leo was elected in May, his brother John Prevost told the media that his sibling is "not happy with what's going on with immigration."
"[Pope Leo XIV] has great, great desire to help the downtrodden and the disenfranchised, the people who are ignored," Prevost said.
The bishop's office also called for simultaneous Masses throughout the diocese "dedicated to our immigrant brothers and sisters."
What To Know
Pham, Bejarano and Pulido wrote in their letter: "We know that migrants and refugees find themselves in the difficult predicament of being called to appear, which is what the government asks of them, and then being given orders for expedited removal from our country," they continued.
They went on to add that "the presence of faith leaders makes a difference in how the migrants are treated."
"The people of faith stand with immigrants and refugees," they said.
Since January 2025, President Trump's administration has increased immigration enforcement actions, as mandated by his election win. However, ICE interventions have become divisive following cases of wrongful arrests. Last Friday, protests broke out in Los Angeles in reaction to numerous ICE raids in the area.
Trump sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, deeming they were necessary to help control the unrest over the weekend, against California Governor Gavin Newsom's wishes.
Violent clashes have taken place with scenes of vehicles on fire, demonstrating motorcyclists smashing through police lines and tear gas being used against protesters.
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Who is Rev. Michael Pham?
Pham, the first U.S. bishop that Leo appointed, is a refugee himself. Originally from Da Nang, Vietnam, he and his family reached the United States in 1981 after fleeing communist persecution.
They left Da Nang on a rice barge when he was just eight years old, spending several days at sea with no food or water among dead bodies on the floor, according to the Times of San Diego. "I thought they were sleeping," he previously said, "but I came to realize that they were dead."
They moved to the town of Lam Son before Pham, his older sister and their younger brother fled to Malaysia on a boat packed with 119 passengers.
They were pursued by communist authorities, faced huge waves and even boarded by pirates at one point.
The three children then lived in a Malaysian refugee camp before an American family sponsored their relocation to Blue Earth, Minnesota in 1981.
Pham later described San Diego as "heaven on earth."
"I came out here for a visit," he said. "We said: 'This is the place'."
Pham went to San Diego High School and then San Diego State University, where he studied aeronautical engineering, before going on to St. Francis Seminary at the University of San Diego.
During his religious career, Pham was mentored by Cardinal Robert McElroy who was a supporter of the late Pope Francis, focusing on issues such as climate change and immigrant rights.
What People Are Saying
Pope Francis previously said in a letter to U.S. bishops that while nations have a right to defend themselves, "the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness."
U.S. border czar Tom Homan pushed back at the time saying: "He wants to attack us for securing our border. He's got a wall around the Vatican, does he not? So he's got a wall around that protects his people and himself, but we can't have a wall around the United States."
Trump, who said in May that he was open to talking to Leo about immigration, wrote on Truth Social after Leo's election: "Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
What Happens Next
The Diocese of San Diego plans to mobilize clergy for the court accompaniment action on June 20, 2025, while faith-based and legal challenges to the Trump administration's immigration policies continue to advance in courts and national debate. The impact of these Church-led and interfaith actions on immigration enforcement and public opinion remains to be seen.
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