Pope appoints former refugee in the US as bishop

ROME - Pope Leo XIV has appointed a former refugee, who had once entered the U.S. without valid documents, as a bishop in the United States. 

Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, from El Salvador, was smuggled across the U.S. border illegally in 1990. 

Leo, the first head of the Roman Catholic Church from the U.S., has now appointed the 55-year-old as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in West Virginia, the Vatican announced on Saturday.

The appointment is also seen by many as a sign of opposition to U.S. President Donald Trump’s migration policy. 

Since Trump returned to the White House early last year, the U.S. administration has been taking an extremely hard line against migrants, many of whom come from Central and South America. 

The current pope, who himself lived for many years as a missionary and bishop in Peru, had strongly criticized this during his time as a cardinal. Even now, he continues to advocate for a humane approach to refugees.

In the boot of a car across Mexico into the US

Trump, for his part, repeatedly called on Leo last month - at times in harsh tones - to stay out of politics. At the same time, he claimed that Leo had only been appointed as an American because he himself had been elected president. 

To this end, he posted an image created using artificial intelligence on the internet, depicting himself as Jesus. Following widespread criticism, including from within his own ranks, Trump had the image removed.

The new Bishop Menjivar-Ayala had entered the country illegally at the age of 20, hidden in the boot of a car, crossing the border between Mexico and the U.S. At the time, his homeland was in the throes of a bloody civil war. 

In recent years, he has served as an auxiliary bishop in Washington, D.C. The Catholic Church has around 1.4 billion followers worldwide.

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This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 1:43 PM.