This message sharply counters the anti-immigrant rhetoric that has been a hallmark of Trump’s administration, which has actively pursued policies that characterise migrants as criminals rather than victims of hardship and persecution.

The Pope’s words challenge the very core of Trump’s aggressive stance on immigration. Pope Francis asserts that the notion of associating migrants’ “illegal status” with criminality is not only morally wrong but a violation of basic human rights…

…The Pope insists that a nation’s true moral standing is reflected in how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, especially those who have no choice but to flee their homelands. “An authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalised,” he writes.

Whilst acknowledging that nations have a right to defend their borders, the Pope stresses that immigration policies must be guided by a sense of dignity and human rights. He argues that Trump’s approach, which has sought to prioritise security and exclusion over compassion, ultimately undermines the foundations of justice and equality. “What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly,” he warns.