El Paso bishop brings Pope Leo XIV desperate letters from migrants in crosshairs of US crackdown

The Texas bishop on the front lines of the U.S. immigration crackdown met Wednesday with Pope Leo XIV, bringing him a packet of letters from immigrant families "terrorized" by fear that they and their loved ones will be rounded up and deported as the Trump administration>s tactics grow increasingly combative.

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El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz also showed Leo a video detailing the plight of migrants, and told The Associated Press afterward that Leo vowed to "stand with" them and the Catholic leaders who are trying to help them.

"He had a few words for us, thanking us for our commitment to the immigrant peoples and also saying that he hopes that the bishops' conference will speak to this issue," said Seitz, chair of the migration committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Catholic leaders in the U.S. have denounced the Trump administration's crackdown, which has split up families, incited fears and upended life in American churches and schools that serve migrant communities. The administration has defended the crackdown as safeguarding public safety and national security.