A bishop appointed by Pope Leo descended on a California court today with a dozen other priests and faith leaders in an attempt to persuade ICE against deporting migrants.
Newly-appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, Michael Pham made an appeal on June 11, asking fellow men of the cloth to join migrants at hearings at the federal courthouse on June 20, International Refugee Day.
Friday, he was among 16 who went to the Southern California federal courthouse to support the migrants in the US legally who were pleading their cases.
In his appeal, Pham said the migrants were in a ‘difficult predicament’ of being hauled before judges.
‘We know that migrants and refugees find themselves in the difficult predicament of being called to appear, which is what the government asks of them, and then being given orders for expedited removal from our country.
‘It has been experienced that the presence of faith leaders makes a difference in how the migrants are treated.
‘Unfortunately, it will most likely not change the outcome,’ he said.
Bishop Michael Pham (right) of the Diocese of San Diego poses for a photo with then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost before he became Pope Leo. The pontiff elevated Pham to the position of bishop in May
San Diego Bishop Michael Pham (center) and other religious leaders arrive at San Diego’s federal courthouse immigration hearings are held in support of migrants on International Refugee Day on Friday
In his appeal, Pham said the migrants were in a ‘difficult predicament’ of being hauled before judges
However, one of the priests in attendance believes they did make an impact, telling DailyMail.com that ICE agents left after seeing the priests.
‘Our presence made them scamper away. When ICE agents saw us come into the courtroom, they submitted the names and photos of the persons they were seeking to the court, but then they didn’t stay to try and apprehend them,’ Father Scott Santarosa of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish told Daily Mail.
‘I think our presence today, and the presence of a lot of press had kind of a deterring effect on ICE today.
All of the cases that went before immigration judges while the religious delegation was there were continued, meaning the migrants were given another court date down the road and no arrests while made either.
‘Everyone knows that the optics would have not been good if all of sudden in the presence of clergy, these arrests and deportations were happening,’ he added about the idea of migrants being shackled in front of them.
Dramatic and emotional scenes have played out in immigration courts across the country where migrants who went from legal to illegal in seconds are taken away.
This includes mothers who have been ripped away from their US-born kids.
In situations where a parent will be deported, their American kids can either be removed from the US along with them or stay behind with family in the US.
The migrants most at risk for being caught up in this legal catch-22 are those who have arrived in country in the last two years.
San Diego Bishop-Designate Michael Pham before entering the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on June 20, 2025 in San Diego, California
San Diego Bishop Michael Pham (center left) and Father Scott Santarosa (center right) stand with other Catholic priests and leaders from Protestant churches in front of the courthouse in San Diego Friday
San Diego Bishop-Designate Michael Pham at the Cathedral of St. Joseph for a special Mass in honor of World Refugee Day on June 20
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has jurisdiction of new cases for two years.
When those migrants are arriving in court, Trump federal prosecutors will inform the judge that they want to dismiss the case.
However, that doesn’t mean the legal claim can forward.
Instead, with the case out of the hands of the court, ICE now has jurisdiction to make an arrest.
‘The presence of clergy and religious people of faith, I think it’s sort of meant to shine a light on what’s happening, and I think the federal government would prefer that some of this stays behind closed doors,’ the priest stated.
Santarosa recounted how they witnessed the case of migrant woman whose case had been closed for 20 years, however, the Trump administration had found a loophole to reopen it.
‘The messaging from the government that, “We’re going after criminals,” is really not a true narrative because this is clearly not a criminal. This is the government figuring out whose case can we open up again to go after so we can deport,’ he said.’
The Department of Homeland Security maintains that ICE is removing the ‘worst of the worst.’
However, in San Diego, ICE can expect to see more priests in courtrooms.
Federal agents escort a woman and her child after they were detained following an appearance at immigration court, Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
In conjunction with federal prosecutors, the Trump administration has begun targeting legal asylum-seekers at federal courthouses across the US, instead of going after the criminal migrants they promised to kick out
A priest holds flowers as police confront with anti-ICE protesters near Federal Building and Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2025 amid protests over immigration raids
‘Given this new data, that we did this and it was effective, I don’t think we can walk away and say, “That was nice.” I think we have to say, “If that was effective, how can more people of faith in San Diego help do this.” I think we’ll talk about what that looks like going forward,’ Santarosa explained.
‘There is a desire on the part of people to see faith leaders really speak up right now, not only for us to do this, but actually, it can be quite effective.’
However, if they Catholic leaders continue to attend immigration hearings, they will not interfere with arrests.
Priests and churches across the country have spoken out against Trump’s deportation policies.
In Los Angeles, priests stood shoulder to shoulder with anti-ICE protestors as riots exploded earlier this month.
When Trump first won re-election, the United Methodist Church issued a blistering rebuke of the president-elect two days after his victory.
‘The lessons of teach us the dangers of silence in the face of threats to human rights,’ the Council of Bishops wrote on Nov. 7.
‘We therefore reject rhetoric, policies, and actions that demean or discriminate against any of God’s children and will be vigilant in defending the rights of the vulnerable and speaking out against oppression.’
Before becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo had been incredibly critical of MAGA immigration policies.
Earlier this year, the new pope called out Vice President JD Vance, calling him outright ‘wrong’ as viral social media spat about his faith went viral.
