Pope Francis has voiced strong concerns about President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to deport millions of undocumented migrants, calling it a potential “calamity.”
Speaking to Italian TV channel Nove on Sunday, the Pope expressed worry over the impact of such a move.
Trump, who is set to return to the White House on Monday, has promised a strict approach to immigration, targeting around 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States.
“If it is true, it will be a calamity, because it makes the poor wretches who have nothing pay,” Pope Francis said.
Trump’s pledge to carry out the “largest deportation operation in American history” has been met with skepticism. Legal challenges and potential resistance from other countries could complicate the process.
The Pope, who met with Trump during his first term in 2017, has previously criticized the president’s stance on immigration.
In 2016, he stated that building walls instead of bridges was not in line with Christian values. Last year, he called the harsh anti-migrant attitudes “madness.”
Trump, now 78, has also proposed ending birthright citizenship, despite its protection under the US Constitution.
Analysts predict he may use executive orders to change immigration policies and is considering declaring a national emergency to access additional resources for his plans.
