Trump's immigration crackdown would be a 'disgrace', says Pope

Pope Francis on Sunday called US President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown a “disgrace”.

Trump has said he would deport everyone living in the United States illegally. He has also said that he would end the citizenship by birth in the United States. Previously, he has also called for the deployment of military on the border to tackle illegal immigration.

In an interview with Italian television, Francis said it would be a “disgrace” if Trump went forward with the plan, according to Reuters.

In an un unusually sharp rebuke, Francis further said, “It would make the migrants, who have nothing, pay the unpaid bill. It doesn’t work. You don’t resolve problems this way.”

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Since taking over as the Pople in 2013, Francis has been vocally supportive of migrants. He has often been critical of Trump and his far-right agenda. He has also often attracted the ire of the extremists, who have dubbed him as part of the ‘woke’ movement. In 2016, he had said that Trump was “not Christian” in his view.

Incoming Trump administration officials said on Saturday that the president-elect was reconsidering plans for immigration raids in Chicago next week, following reports about the plans.

There are apprehensions within the Catholic Church about Trump’s plans. On Sunday, Chicago’s Catholic archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich, also criticised the planned raids on immigrants.

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“This would be an affront to the dignity of all people and communities,” said Cupich in a statement.