Mike Johnson has rallied behind the Trump administration’s election-winning border control policies.

The Baptist and Speaker of the House appeared to indirectly rebuke Pope Leo XIV’s call for “deep reflection” on mass deportations.

Pope Leo made the comments in November last year, saying the U.S needed to “consider the spiritual rights” of illegal immigrants.

Outside the walls of the Vatican, the Pope reasserted his position on mass immigration, telling Journalists in Castel Gandolfo that, “God will ask us how we received and welcomed the foreigner.”

“I think that there’s a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what’s happening” in the United States.

“Many [illegal immigrants] have lived [there] for years and years, and never caused problems,” the Pope alleged.

They have “been deeply affected by what’s going on right now.”

He then insisted that “U.S authorities allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of [illegal immigrants], who, he said, had been, in many instances, separated from their families for a good amount of time.”

“We have to look for ways of treating people humanely, and with dignity” he added.

“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to treat that.”

Such as, “through the courts and a system of justice,” he continued.

Acknowledging that this system has a lot of problems, Pope Leo said he wasn’t advocating for open borders. 

“No one has said that the United States should have open borders.”

“Every country has a right to determine who, how and when people enter,” he declared. 

This doesn’t justify, the Pope concluded, what he sees as violence against people who have been in the US for decades.

Firing back in an article on X, Mike Johnson defended deportations, stating, “context is critical.”

“We are each called to love God first and to love our neighbours as ourselves (Deut. 6:5, Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:36-40, KJV).”

“However, that ‘Greatest Commandment’ was never directed to the government, but to INDIVIDUAL believers,” asserted Johnson.

“The Bible teaches that God ordained and created four distinct spheres of authority— (1) the individual, (2) the family, (3) the church, and (4) civil government—and each of these spheres is given different responsibilities.” 

To this, Johnson added the example of Jesus teaching “His followers to practice mercy and forgiveness and to ‘turn the other cheek” (Matt. 5:38-40, KJV).” 

“He was not giving that command to the government.” 

“To the contrary, when government officials ignore crime, they are directly VIOLATING their responsibilities before God.”

“Read in its context, the oft-misquoted Leviticus 19:34” backs this point.

“Showing love and kindness to a stranger was not a command given to civil government, but instead to individual believers,” Johnson continued to argue.

“The Bible is clear that Christians should practice personal charity.”

“But”, he said, “the Bible also insists upon the enforcement of laws (like our federal immigration statutes), so that ‘every person is subject to the governing authorities’ and ‘those who resist incur judgment” (Rom. 13:1-2).”

“Borders are Biblical,” Johnson argued.

Tearing down the utopianism of Globalists who scream for Open Borders, and then dishonestly equate “niceness” with the Gospel, he said, 

“Their fantasy will simply never be realised. Their basic premise (that man is inherently good and perfectible on his own) is the opposite of the Biblical truth.”

“Man is fallen and in need of redemption that is available only through salvation in Jesus Christ.”

Nations are Biblical, he added.

“The Bible speaks favourably and consistently about distinct nations of people (see, e.g., Gen. 18:18, Num. 32:17, Psalm 67:2, Matt. 28:19, Rev. 5:9, 7:9, NIV)”

This necessitates “borders and walls that are built to guard and secure people, property, and jurisdictions (see, e.g., Deut. 19:14, 27:17, 32:8, Acts 17:26, NIV).”

“Maintaining a secure border is not an offensive measure, but a wise, defensive one to prevent chaos and safeguard innocent life.” 

Concluding his 1300-word treatise, Johnson reminded the Pope that the humanitarian crisis was created under the sleepy eye of Joe Biden’s Woke White House. 

Slamming the omission of these facts, the Southern Baptist schooled the Pope, saying,

“More than 10 million illegal aliens from around the world have entered the U.S. since Joe Biden became President, the majority of whom are single, military-aged men.”

This list included “countless violent criminals, more than 300 suspects on the terror watchlist, and Cartels, who make billions from abusing and trafficking young women and children.”

Emphatic, Johnson said, add to this list the Cartels alongside the Chinese Communist Party smuggling Fentanyl into the US, creating a crisis that is killing young Americans.

“The President of the United States must be the first to uphold our laws.”

“America is the most benevolent nation in the world—by far. However, we cannot maintain that strength and generosity if we surrender our own safety and sovereignty.”

“Any time liberals attempt to bolster their ‘open borders’ agenda by citing Scripture out of context,” Johnson said, “they should be kindly corrected with the facts (2 Tim. 2:24-25).”

“Justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive pursuits. To the contrary, God specifically requires His people to practice both (Micah 6:8).” 

Clarifying context, Johnson said, “Despite the unfounded claims of the Left, supporting a strong national border is a very Christian thing to do.

“The Bible tells us so.”