“In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character,” the pontiff said in his July 4 letter calling for the “welcoming” of immigrants
From the very founding of our country, our leaders have proclaimed the United States a nation of immigrants. Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S.-born pontiff, marked last weekend’s July 4 semiquincentennial celebrations by issuing a special letter reminding us all to live up to those ideals.
‘HELPED SHAPE THE NATION’S CHARACTER’
“Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning,” he wrote. “In every generation, those who have arrived seeking freedom, opportunity and a place to belong have helped to shape the nation’s character. To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.”
NEW: Pope Leo has written a letter to the US marking its 250th Anniversary; Leo writes: “Defending human life also includes welcoming, protecting, and assisting immigrants.. “
— Rich Raho (@richraho.bsky.social) 2026-07-03T16:24:16.447Z
“May this milestone renew the shared commitment to the promise of freedom, justice, opportunity and democracy,” the pontiff continued. “May Americans honor the courage and vision of those who came before them by strengthening their communities, respecting their differences and working together toward a more perfect union.”
‘I WANT TO BOW BEFORE YOUR DIGNITY’
Putting his plea for compassion into action, Pope Leo traveled to the small Italian island of Lampedusa, where he “laid a bouquet of white and yellow flowers at the simply marked graves of migrants drowned at sea,” The Washington Post reported. “The Gospel resounds where peoples meet, people welcome one another, their lives intertwine and different cultures engage in dialogue,” he said. “It falls silent, however, when each person makes him or herself an island.”
Pope Leo’s visit to Lampedusa was the second consecutive month that he visited an island that is the final destination of one of the most dangerous routes for African migrants seeking new lives in Europe. One stop during his week-long Spanish tour last month included a visit to the Canary Islands, where he visited a migrant center and listened to the heart-wrenching stories of migrants and trafficking victims.
“Dear migrants, before saying anything else to you, I want to bow before your dignity. You are not just numbers or files. You are people who have left behind families and homes. You have dreams that no one has the right to despise,” he said, urging leaders to act on “legal and safe pathways, rescue and assistance, real cooperation against traffickers, effective protection for victims, serious processes of reception and integration, and policies that allow every person to live with dignity in their own land.”
“Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.” – Pope Leo
— Rich Raho (@richraho.bsky.social) 2026-06-25T16:06:11.459Z
“We cannot grow accustomed to counting the dead,” Leo continued. “Human dignity has no passport and does not lose its value when crossing a border.”
DEPORTATION AGENTS DETAIN A NUN
America’s contradictions on immigration were on full display on July 4 and in the days leading to the semiquincentennial. On June 28, Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja was detained by mass deportation agents while on her way to Sunday Mass in South Texas. Sister Letty, who is originally from Nigeria, was in her habit “when agents stopped her near the church, cuffed her and took her rosary,” Migrant Insider reported. “The detained nun also needed medication,” which “federal agents didn’t allow her to get,” The Texas Tribune said.
“Diocesan officials have confirmed only that she entered the country legally,” Migrant Insider continued. “They have not said what triggered the stop, and neither has ICE. The diocese has already said, on the record, that whatever protocol let agents cuff a nun walking to church needs to be rewritten.”
The confiscated rosary was not returned to Sister Letty when she was released later that day, Migrant Insider said. NBC News shared footage of a visibly shaken Sister Letty being released from ICE custody and embraced by Sister Norma Pimentel, a Catholic Charities leader. “She was very distraught and scared, and didn’t understand what was happening,” Sister Pimentel said.
A GLIMMER OF HOPE, SWEARING ALLEGIANCE TO AMERICA
Yet in the days that followed, thousands of immigrants raised their right hand to be sworn in as American citizens by the same government that had just hours earlier abducted a nun on her way to church. These new Americans have not been immune from obstacles of their own. The naturalization process “has become more burdensome with longer waits, tougher citizenship testing standards and high filing fees,” The Guardian noted. “The barriers and the continued aggressive immigration crackdown raise a question for people eligible for naturalization: are they still welcome here?”
As Pope Leo reminded in his July 4 letter to the U.S., not only is welcoming the stranger in keeping with our unique distinction as a nation of immigrants, it’s in our best interests, economically and beyond. “No one can single-handedly bear the weight of the challenges the world is facing,” he stated. “We need one another, and we need to work together in unity to confront the challenges that the world is facing today.”
