‘Open Borders’ Bishop Accuses Speaker Johnson Of Using Scripture To Undermine ‘Human Dignity’

Santa Fe, New Mexico, Archbishop John C. Wester said while nations may regulate their borders, Catholic teaching requires that all policies and rhetoric uphold the inherent dignity of migrants and avoid using Scripture as a political weapon.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had put forth a biblical defense of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts Feb. 3 after a reporter asked him to respond to Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of mass deportations. The pontiff cited Matthew 25:35, in which Jesus Christ speaks about those who will inherit the kingdom of God, saying “[when I was] a stranger and you welcomed me.”

In response, Johnson, a Southern Baptist, said immigration is not “frowned upon” in the Bible but instead welcomed, and “we’re going to welcome the sojourner and love our neighbor as ourself.” However, Johnson said that biblical command to welcome the stranger falls on “individuals” instead of “civil authorities,” which Wester said is contrary to Christian ethics.

Johnson said civil authorities maintain a divine right to establish immigration laws that maintain order. He called national borders and walls “biblical.” He said God “allowed us to set up our civil societies and have separate nations.”

“When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change a society,” he said. “They’re expected to assimilate.”

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TAKE ACTION: Contact Archbishop Wester and let him know what you think.