The White House slammed the door on Florida Catholic bishops’ heartfelt Christmas plea for a deportation pause, prioritizing campaign promises over holiday mercy.
Florida Bishops Launch Christmas Appeal
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski signed the December 22 letter on behalf of all Florida Catholic bishops. They urged President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis to suspend ICE apprehensions and roundups through the Christmas season. Bishops documented a climate of fear gripping undocumented migrants, their U.S. citizen family members, and legal neighbors. Families skipped church and gatherings, dreading separation during the holy season. The plea invoked the Prince of Peace, demanding decent regard for vulnerable humanity.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski this morning during a news conference pertaining to Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops’ appeal to President and Florida’s Governor: “to halt immigration enforcement until after the Christmas and New Year holidays.” Read the letter 👇@WPLGLocal10 pic.twitter.com/oZvBWWoHxP
— Christina Boomer Vazquez, M.S. (@CBoomerVazquez) December 22, 2025
White House Delivers Swift Rejection
Abigail Jackson, White House spokeswoman, emailed the media shortly after the bishops’ letter. She declared that Trump was elected to deport criminal illegal aliens, and he kept that promise. No pause entered consideration. Enforcement operations persisted as usual, even through Christmas Eve and Day. This public rebuff signaled zero tolerance for holiday exceptions, reinforcing deterrence against illegal presence.
White House says no to Catholic bishops' call for Christmas pause in immigration enforcement https://t.co/ErYqQJm4FQ
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 23, 2025
Trump’s team viewed the request as undermining core policy. Bishops sought a narrow, symbolic halt, not amnesty. Yet administration priorities favored unbroken operations. Florida, with its large immigrant parishes and Trump-supporting Cuban-Americans, amplified the stakes. Common sense aligns with fulfilling voter pledges over seasonal sentimentality.
Trump Administration’s Immigration Enforcement Surge
From 2017, Trump escalated interior enforcement. ICE targeted workplaces and communities, arresting non-criminals alongside offenders. Raids created pervasive dread in Florida’s Latin American enclaves. Bishops noted mixed-status families suffered most, with legal relatives avoiding public life. No federal tradition paused operations for religious holidays existed. Sensitive locations like churches offered limited protection, but holidays saw no extraordinary reprieve.
Prior faith appeals yielded little change. Bishops clashed repeatedly over DACA and family separations. This Christmas bid highlighted unified Florida leadership in a swing state pivotal to Trump’s base. White House calculus weighed moral pressure against political capital. Sovereignty and rule of law prevailed, as conservatives expect.
Impacts Rippled Through Communities
Undocumented families curtailed Christmas plans, fearing ICE encounters at midnight Mass or dinners. Anxiety spiked for U.S.-born children in mixed households. Parishes braced for pastoral crises, offering legal aid amid enforcement tempo. Economically, employers reliant on immigrants faced disruptions during the holiday season from arrests.
Long-term, relations between Catholic leaders and the administration were strained. Bishops reinforced migrant protections in doctrine, but enforcement signaled non-negotiable borders. Politically, Trump solidified base loyalty, prioritizing security over fleeting mercy pleas. Facts show that rhetoric-focused criminals, though collateral arrests occurred. Conservative values demand accountability, not open invitations.
Sources:
https://www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/no-room-at-the-trump-inn-white-house