House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was derided by critics on social media as trying to “outdo the Pope” after he tried to use the Bible to defend the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.
The Southern Baptist Convention’s Johnson was asked to comment on Chicago-born Pope Leo’s citation of Matthew 25:35, with the Roman Catholic Church’s current leader urging “deep reflection” on the United States’ treatment of immigrants.
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“Pope Leo quoted Matthew 25:35 to criticize Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda,” Migrant Insider editor Pablo Manríquez asked Johnson in a video shared by Newsmax on Tuesday. “How would you respond to Pope Leo in the Bible?”
“So you want me to write you a theological paper?” Johnson replied. “Okay. I’ll tell you what. I’ll post it on my website later today, but let me give you a quick summary.”
Johnson argued that the Bible welcomed immigrants but taught that “assimilation is expected, expected and appropriate.”
“When someone comes into your country, into your country, they don’t have the power to change the law or change society,” he said. “They should assimilate. We haven’t had a lot of that happen.”
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Johnson claimed the Bible requires civil authorities to “maintain order,” but he accused the Biden-Harris administration of failing to do so.
“We’re not taking care of our borders,” he said. “Sovereign boundaries are biblical, good, right, and just, not because we hate those on the outside, but because we love those on the inside.”
“As individuals we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves, but as civil authorities and governments we must uphold the law, which is biblical, which is right and which is just,” he added.
Johnson later shared his argument in a 1,300-word post on X (formerly Twitter):
The response quickly sparked an online backlash, with critics accusing Johnson of hypocrisy and cherry-picking scripture to justify the policy.
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