Weisenburger spoke recently to reporters and Catholic clergy at a news conference at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. And his first big message? That we should “see Christ” in migrants crossing the border.

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Weisenburger’s warm embrace of immigrants aligns closely with Pope Francis, who sent a strongly worded letter on the same day as Weisenburger’s press conference, blasting U.S. immigration policies, particularly those linked to President Trump.

Pontiff weighs in: Pope criticizes mass deportations.

In his letter, the Pope said, “I have followed closely the major crisis that is taking place in the United States with the initiation of a program of mass deportations. The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.”

He went on to say, “At the same time, one must recognize the right of a nation to defend itself and keep communities safe from those who have committed violent or serious crimes while in the country or prior to arrival. That said, the act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution or serious deterioration of the environment, damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness.”

From Arizona to Michigan: an immigration advocate with first-hand experiences.

The Pope’s message aligns with the experiences of those on the frontlines of the immigration crisis, including advocates like Spanish-speaking Weisenburger. His perspective, shaped by firsthand encounters with asylum seekers, is reinforced by seeing the human toll of deportations and border policies. Having witnessed the desperation of families seeking safety, he echoes the Pope’s concerns about the dignity and vulnerability of migrants while acknowledging the complexities of national security.

In Tucson, he helped manage thousands of asylum seekers dropped off by the government, sometimes handling up to 1,500 per day. He has recounted stories of immense suffering, desert deaths, and families fleeing violence – emphasizing that many migrants don’t want to leave home but feel forced to in order to survive.

Weisenburger’s moral crusade: defending aid and denouncing Trump.

In 2018, Weisenburger made national headlines by warning that some Catholics involved in separating immigrant families could face “canonical penalties” amid growing backlash against the Trump administration’s family separation policy. These are ecclesiastical punishments imposed for serious offenses against Church law. He has also denounced President Trump’s plan to dismantle USAID, saying that America needs to help the people suffering around the world. “In our culture, when we don’t have to see that person, see that process, we can kind of close our minds to it, but I don’t think a Christian can do that,” Weisenburger said. “I think we have to keep it in our minds, and I would say that the amount of help that we as the wealthiest nation in the world, the most blessed nation, that amount of assistance we’ve been providing, typically around the world, to the world’s very poorest, is a part of who we are, it’s in our DNA as American people, and I hope that we never stray from that.”