{"id":2614523,"date":"2026-06-16T07:32:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pope-leo-says-migrants-should-integrate-and-obey-the-law\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T07:36:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T11:36:40","slug":"pope-leo-says-migrants-should-integrate-and-obey-the-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pope-leo-says-migrants-should-integrate-and-obey-the-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope Leo Says Migrants Should Integrate And Obey The Law"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpope-leo-says-migrants-should-integrate-and-obey-the-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2614523&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Pope Leo XIV&#8217;s recent trip to Spain and the Canary Islands highlighted a nuanced stance on immigration. While he emphasized the importance of respecting human dignity and acknowledging the tragedy of migrant deaths at sea,he also issued warnings to migrants,traffickers,and originating countries. The pope called for adherence to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-immigration-stupid-new-poll-finds-immigration-most-important-issue-to-voters\/\" title=\"\u2018It...s ..., Stupid!...: New Poll Finds ... Most Important Issue To Voters\">legal immigration processes<\/a>, condemned trafficking and exploitation, and stressed that countries have the right to defend their borders. He urged migrants to avoid traffickers&#8217; false promises and to integrate without creating separate enclaves.<\/p>\n<p>This approach marks a significant shift from the conventional Catholic hierarchy\u2019s push for unconditional welcoming of migrants, frequently enough overlooking associated social issues such as crime, exploitation, and cultural challenges in host countries. The commentary questions whether the longstanding pro-immigration stance is driven by naive charity or strategic motives and underscores the need for balanced, orderly immigration policies that preserve societal stability.Ultimately, the pope&#8217;s message aligns with the view that nations should protect their borders and promote assimilation, consistent with the founding principles of the United States.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When Pope Leo XIV last week completed his seven-day trip to Spain by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2026\/06\/12\/pope-leo-visiting-spain-defends-migrants-calls-legal-paths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visiting the Canary Islands<\/a>, where thousands of migrants have died attempting to reach Europe, one would expect the usual boilerplate language <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/11\/05\/usccb-distorts-church-teachings-to-cajole-catholics-into-voting-for-open-borders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">typical of the Catholic hierarchy of late<\/a>. This would include that Western nations need to treat immigrants with respect and dignity (hint: unreservedly welcoming them in and putting them on the fast track to citizenship) and that immigrants have the right to leave their nations of origin. There was certainly some of that, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/02\/12\/pope-francis-letter-to-u-s-bishops-sows-confusion-over-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">similar to his predecessor, Francis<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>But what was surprisingly welcome was that the pope tempered that language with exhortations and warnings to those same migrants, a message that has been often frustratingly absent from the Catholic Church\u2019s public commentary regarding one of the greatest crises facing the West. It\u2019s language that many of the Catholic faithful \u2014 and the broader world that, to various degrees, still looks to the papacy as a moral compass \u2014 desperately yearned to hear, especially given that Catholic teaching is actually quite nuanced and moderate on the topic of immigration and borders. One hopes the rest of the Catholic hierarchy were paying attention.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What Pope Leo Said About Immigration<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Some of what Pope Leo said was relatively unsurprising. He warned European nations that they \u201ccannot claim to uphold human dignity while growing accustomed to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic becoming unmarked graves.\u201d He declared: \u201cHuman dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.\u201d He threw a bouquet of flowers into the ocean to honor those migrants who had died trying to reach the Canary Islands in search of a better life. In many respects, this mimics language Leo has offered since he assumed the papacy last year, including his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/11\/18\/g-s1-98318\/pope-leo-calls-out-extremely-disrespectful-treatment-of-migrants-in-the-u-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">direct criticism<\/a> of U.S. enforcement of our nation\u2019s immigration laws.<\/p>\n<p>But that\u2019s not all Pope Leo said during his Spanish trip. He <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/pope-tells-traffickers-of-migrants-in-the-canary-islands-stop-repent-or-face-gods-wrath\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reprimanded human traffickers<\/a>, calling on them to repent for tricking families, threatening women, and abusing workers. He directed some of his rhetorical energy at the countries from which immigrants originate, exhorting them to preserve justice and offer economic opportunities that would curb the desire of their citizens to leave for distant shores. \u201cWhile there is a right to seek refuge when life is threatened, there is also the right not to have to migrate,\u201d he said. The pope even asserted that all countries have a \u201cright\u201d to define and defend their national borders. <\/p>\n<p>Pope Leo even offered cautions to would-be immigrants. He warned them to reconsider the \u201csiren songs\u201d of traffickers who promise \u201ceasy paradises\u201d in Europe and North America. He argued that those intending to immigrate must pursue \u201clegal\u201d mechanisms to move from one country to another, an implicit rebuke of the millions who have violated other nations\u2019 laws by crossing their borders. Moreover, once those migrants arrive, Pope Leo acknowledged that as much as they have a right to preserve their own culture, they must not \u201ccreat[e] parallel worlds, closed off from one another, where people live side by side without truly encountering one another.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why This Is a Welcome Shift<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>For a long time, Catholics have become inured to the hierarchy\u2019s tendency to emphasize the protection and celebration of immigrants over native citizens. Regardless of how many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/more-than-4000-migrants-crossed-the-border-in-yuma-arizona-over-the-weekend-as-crisis-grows\/\" title=\"More Than 4,000 ... Crossed The Border In Yuma, Arizona, Over The Weekend As Crisis Grows\">migrants illegally crossed<\/a> the borders of Western nations, the faithful were told by many of their bishops, and even the previous pope, that to be anything less than welcoming was un-Christian. The West must, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vaticannews.va\/en\/pope\/news\/2017-11\/pope-message-world-day-of-migrants-and-refugees.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">in Pope Francis\u2019 words<\/a>, \u201cwelcome \u2026 protect \u2026 promote \u2026 integrate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This was the message, even as millions of illegal migrants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nber.org\/papers\/w11610?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">competed with working-class citizens for jobs<\/a>. It was the message as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacpa.org.uk\/2023\/04\/04\/grooming-gangs-and-ethnicity-what-does-the-evidence-say\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">large numbers of Muslim migrants<\/a> created extensive networks that groomed and exploited thousands of native underage girls. It was the message after <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sueddeutsche.de\/politik\/uebergriffe-in-koeln-frauen-wurden-opfer-von-silvester-gewalt-1.3072064\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">more than a thousand women<\/a> were sexually assaulted, apparently mostly by immigrants, in a single night. It was the message after <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >immigrants exploited federal funding programs<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-mn\/pr\/faribault-couple-plead-guilty-their-roles-250-million-feeding-our-future-fraud-scheme?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">steal hundreds of millions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/joe-biden-signs-memorandum-backpedaling-on-president-trumps-abortion-policies\/\" title=\"Joe Biden signs memorandum backpedaling on Pre...nt Trump...s abortion policies\">federal dollars<\/a><\/a>, some of which <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/11\/23\/opinion\/state-sponsored-terror-fraud-schemes-sent-minn-tax-dollars-to-somali-qaeda-group\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">may have funded foreign terrorist groups<\/a>. And it has been the message while immigrants <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2026\/06\/11\/northern-ireland-belfast-stabbing-violence-uk-migrants\/0357682a-655b-11f1-bdd4-805ebb99a693_story.html?itid=sr_1_74f8b319-7a92-4a54-a851-43ea93a08af3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">continue<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/world\/2026\/06\/02\/uk-stabbing-victim-handcuffed-sikhs-knives-race\/87bb3ac8-5eb3-11f1-9c46-d6211372eede_story.html?itid=sr_0_6cd0a876-54e8-4a8b-ae26-7dbbb74d8432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commit acts of violence<\/a> against native residents.<\/p>\n<p>Almost everyone has stories about what they have experienced or witnessed when it comes to illegal immigrants. They are exploiting government programs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/colorado\/news\/colorado-law-firm-report-claims-venezuelan-gang-stranglehold-apartments-takeover-began-2023\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">creating criminal networks in our communities<\/a>, and <em>not assimilating<\/em>. The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/05\/15\/worst-prosecutor-in-america-struggles-to-explain-why-democrats-keep-protecting-illegal-alien-murderers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recently reported<\/a> that as many as 200,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-seeks-8m-to-bus-illegal-aliens-out-of-florida-to-bidens-delaware-obamas-marthas-vineyard\/\" title=\"DeSantis Seeks M to Bus Illegal Aliens Out of Florida to Biden&#039;s Delaware, Obama&#039;s Martha&#039;s Vineyard\">000 illegal aliens reside<\/a> in Fairfax County, Virginia. <\/p>\n<p>As a lifelong resident of Fairfax County, I can attest to the realities of a people who feel no compulsion to assimilate. Directly outside my suburban subdivision, I daily drive by a massive amount of Section 8 housing, where dozens of women and girls walk the streets in burkas. When Fairfax County sends notices to residents by mail, it prints them in <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/11\/15\/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-time-wasting-race-focused-task-forces\/?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">almost a dozen languages<\/a> because local officials have decided that people who can\u2019t (and won\u2019t) speak English should have a voice regarding changes to county policies. A local friend of mine, once a professional carpenter, entered federal service because it was impossible to compete with cheap immigrant labor.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Communicating Church Teaching on Immigration<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>I don\u2019t know why the Catholic hierarchy has typically taken such a firm stance in favor of illegal immigrants, directing their ire not at those committing crimes but at legal residents frustrated by that crime and the disturbing changes to their communities happening right under their noses. Is it a naive, misplaced sense of Christian charity or a belief that the church must always side with whoever has a better claim to being \u201cthe victim\u201d? Is it a hope that these illegal immigrants represent the next generation of Catholics holding up the declining parishes of the West? (Certainly that can\u2019t be the case in Europe, where most of these migrants are Muslim!)<\/p>\n<p>Everyone, regardless of race or nationality, deserves respect and dignity. But that doesn\u2019t mean the United States, or any other country for that matter, must open the gates and let everyone in, regardless of their culture or willingness to assimilate. That\u2019s not Christian charity. That\u2019s chaos and civilizational collapse. And, as Pope Leo has aptly observed, it\u2019s not even good for the countries of origin. As I\u2019ve argued, this paradigm <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/09\/18\/yes-you-can-love-your-neighbor-and-oppose-illegal-immigration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">encourages a brain drain<\/a> of the best and brightest from other countries because they\u2019d rather pursue opportunities in the West.<\/p>\n<p>As our nation celebrates our 250th anniversary, we\u2019re reminded that the founders intended the United States to be an example to the world of what representative government by a culturally united, self-governing people can accomplish. The objective was that other people would, in time, <em>emulate <\/em>our nation, not that they would all move here. We should be grateful that the current pontiff in Rome is speaking in ways that confirm that vision.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. He is a regular contributor at many publications and the author of three books, including the upcoming &#8220;Wisdom From the Cross: How Jesus\u2019 Seven Last Words Teach Us How to Live (and Die)&#8221; (Sophia Institute Press, 2026).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pope Leo&#8217;s balanced message on immigration and borders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":2614524,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Audience-Oct-13-2025.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3813,71125,51639,10283,55381],"class_list":["post-2614523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-immigration","tag-integration","tag-law-2","tag-migration","tag-pope-leo"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Pope-Leo-XIV-Audience-Oct-13-2025.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2614523"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2614527,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614523\/revisions\/2614527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2614524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2614523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2614523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2614523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}