Mike Johnson Spars With Pope Leo XIV Over Christian Treatment of Immigrants

House Speaker Mike Johnson challenged Pope Leo XIV’s understanding of Christian scripture on Tuesday, part of an ongoing feud between Republicans and Catholic leaders over their respective interpretations of what the Bible says about treating immigrants.

“Sovereign borders are biblical and good and right, and they’re just … it’s not because we hate the people on the outside, it’s because we love the people on the inside,” Johnson said during a press conference on Capitol Hill. “We should love our neighbors ourselves as individuals, but as a civil authority, the government has to maintain the law.”

“And that is biblical, and it’s right, and it’s just,” he added.

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Johnson doubled down on his argument in a more than 1,600-word post to X alongside a photo of the Texas-Mexico border wall captioned “The Christian Case for Deportation” that he said he drafted during the Biden administration.

In his essay, Johnson argues that the Bible differentiates between individuals and civil government, casting each with different responsibilities. Individuals, Johnson said, are obligated to treat strangers with “kindness and hospitality,” while the role of the civil government is to enforce laws and secure the country’s borders.

“America is the most benevolent nation in the world—by far. However, we cannot maintain that strength and generosity if we surrender our own safety and sovereignty,” Johnson wrote. “Preserving law and order and securing our borders should not be partisan issues, but matters of common sense. These are certainly responsibilities fully authorized by the Bible—and expected of us by God.”

“Maintaining a secure border is not an offensive measure, but a wise, defensive one to prevent chaos and safeguard innocent life,” he continued.

Leo XIV has consistently spoken out against the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement tactics, a notable stance given his status as the first American pope.

In November, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a rare statement condemning Trump’s immigration crackdown and launching an aid initiative for immigrants living in America.

“We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,” the letter read. “We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.”

Johnson has faced previous criticism by religious scholars for misinterpreting religious texts in defense of his political agenda. Before being named speaker, Mother Jones reported that Johnson taught a church seminar based on the premise that America is a “Christian nation” with the mission to “keep God in Government.”

In response to the rare call for action by American Bishops, Leo XIV said the Trump administration’s treatment of immigrants was “extremely disrespectful, to say the least.”

“We have to look for ways of treating people humanely, treating people with the dignity that they have,” Leo XIV told reporters on Nov. 18. “If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that. There are courts, there’s a system of justice.”

Just two days later while speaking at a policy event hosted by conservative new outlet Breitbart, Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, said open-border immigration policies are “not actually good for the dignity even of the illegal migrants themselves.”

“Border security is not just good for American citizens,” Vance said at the event. “It is the humanitarian thing to do for the entire world.”