![\"Multi-faith](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sut-l-ice-vigil_003.jpg\")
Multi-faith leaders gather for a candlelight vigil outside immigration court in downtown San Diego Thursday. (Sandy Huffaker \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\nSan Diego bishops were among those who backed the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops\u2019 move to send a rare \u201cspecial message\u201d \u2014 the first in 12 years \u2014 to express their concern and opposition amid the Trump administration\u2019s mass deportation policies.<\/p>\n
Bishop Michael Pham of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, along with Auxiliary Bishops Felipe Pulido and Ram\u00f3n Bejarano, were among the members who voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of sending a message during what they called a \u201ccrucial moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people,\u201d reads part of the message sent by the body of bishops on Wednesday. \u201cWe pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pray that the Lord may guide the leaders of our nation, and we are grateful for past and present opportunities to dialogue with public and elected officials,\u201d the message continues. \u201cIn this dialogue, we will continue to advocate for meaningful immigration reform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Immediately after flying back from Baltimore, where the fall plenary assembly was held, the three bishops on Thursday joined multi-faith leaders for a candlelight vigil in front of the Edward J. Schwartz federal building in downtown San Diego. The building holds immigration courtrooms, a temporary detention facility and the offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n
Multi-faith leaders gather for a candlelight vigil outside immigration court in downtown San Diego Thursday. (Sandy Huffaker \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n
Hundreds attended the vigil to show solidarity with families of individuals who have been detained or deported.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are opposing what is happening,\u201d said Pham on Thursday night. \u201cWe need to treat everyone with dignity and respect, and care for each other as a human family.\u201d<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump\u2019s so-called border czar, Tom Homan, criticized the bishops\u2019 message Friday, telling reporters<\/a> outside the White House that the Catholic Church is \u201cwrong.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to them, the message we should send to the world is if you cross the border illegally, which is a crime, don\u2019t worry about it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you get an order of removal by a federal judge after due process, don\u2019t worry about it because there shouldn\u2019t be mass deportations. Is that the message we send to the whole world?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m saying it not only as the border czar, I\u2019m saying it as a Catholic,\u201d Homan continued. \u201cI think they need to spend time fixing the Catholic Church in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n U.S. bishops may only issue what is deemed a special message during plenary assemblies. Such messages are statements considered appropriate by the president of the conference, the administrative committee or the general membership, \u201cin view of the circumstances at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n To be approved, it must receive the support of two-thirds of the conference members who are present and eligible to vote at the plenary. The message passed with<\/a> 216 votes in favor, 5 against, and 3 abstentions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that you\u2019re seeing bishops that might not normally say something, say something, that\u2019s a good metric, or litmus test, for the sense of injustice that\u2019s happening,\u201d said the Rev. Scott Santarosa of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Logan Heights.<\/p>\n Local religious leaders agreed that such a message from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is rare but stressed the importance of taking a stand. The last time the body of bishops voted to send a special message was in 2013, in response<\/a> to the federal government\u2019s contraceptive mandate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot keep our mouths shut because this is a human issue, an issue of human dignity,\u201d Bejarano said about this week\u2019s message. \u201cThat\u2019s why it was so important that all of us as bishops were able to come together with one voice.\u201d<\/p>\n The action follows the lead of Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead the Catholic church, who has been critical<\/a> of the treatment of immigrants in the U.S. The White House\u2019s Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on the statements at the time, saying that<\/a> \u201cthis Administration is trying to enforce our nation\u2019s laws in the most humane way possible.\u201d<\/p>\n For several months, a group of volunteers, including Catholic church leaders, has accompanied<\/a> people to their scheduled check-in appointments with ICE.<\/p>\n Volunteers have witnessed some of these individuals being detained and temporarily transferred to a detention facility in the basement of the building.<\/p>\n![\"Worshipers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/sut-l-ice-vigil_006.jpg\")
A woman holds a photo during the vigil Thursday. (Sandy Huffaker \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n