Pope Leo Condemns US Deportations as Homan Fires Back: 'Look at the Vatican's Walls'

Border czar Tom Homan dismissed Pope Leo's criticism of President Trump's mass deportation policies by pointing to the fortified walls surrounding Vatican City, asking reporters why the pope 'needs walls' if open borders are the moral imperative. The exchange escalated a growing rift between the new pontiff and the Trump administration over immigration enforcement. Pope Leo — who has called mass deportations a violation of human dignity — is planning his first major international trip to four African countries in April, while the administration has deported over 670,000 people and continues to expand ICE operations nationwide. The confrontation pits one of the world's most powerful moral voices against the political movement most determined to control America's borders.