Patriot Brief

  • What Happened: House Speaker Mike Johnson responded to Pope Leo XIV’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies by arguing that borders and national sovereignty are supported by Scripture.
  • Why It Matters: The exchange highlights a growing debate over whether Christian teaching supports strict border enforcement or open-border policies.
  • Bottom Line: Johnson says enforcing immigration law is not un-Christian but a biblical duty of civil government.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing back after Pope Leo XIV raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, making the case that borders are not only constitutional, but biblical.

Speaking with reporters after a House vote, Johnson was asked about the pope’s reference to Matthew 25:35, a passage often cited to argue against deportations. Johnson, a Southern Baptist, responded without hesitation. “Borders and walls are biblical,” he said. “From the Old Testament to the New, God has allowed us to set up our civil societies and have separate nations.”

Johnson clarified that Scripture does not oppose immigration. “We’re to welcome the sojourner and love our neighbor as ourself,” he said. But he drew a sharp line between personal charity and government responsibility. “What’s also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper.”

“When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change its society,” Johnson said. “They are expected to assimilate. We haven’t had a lot of that going on.”

The comments came after Pope Leo XIV suggested that recent immigration enforcement in the United States raised moral questions, citing Jesus’ words about welcoming the stranger. Johnson countered that those commands are directed at individuals, not civil authorities.

“The civil authorities are given authority under scripture to maintain order,” Johnson said, arguing that the Biden-Harris administration failed that duty by allowing what he described as millions of illegal entries, including dangerous criminals.

Later, Johnson expanded his argument on X, writing that the Bible establishes distinct roles for individuals, families, churches, and government. Civil government, he said, is tasked with enforcing the law so society can function peacefully.

“Justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive,” Johnson wrote. “Despite the claims of the Left, supporting a strong national border is a very Christian thing to do. The Bible tells us so.”