Tom Homan Challenges the Pope, Calls Out Vatican's Contradictions: 'Stick to the Catholic Church and Fix That!'

Former border official Tom Homan pushed back against Pope Francis’ recent statements criticizing U.S. immigration policies, particularly the Trump administration’s approach to deportations, which the Pope referred to as a “disgrace.”

Francis further asserted that “poor wretches that don’t have anything” would ultimately “foot the bill” for these deportations.

Speaking to Newsmax, Homan, a self-identified lifelong Catholic, pointed out that the Vatican itself enforces strict security measures to regulate entry, a fact that the Pope’s comments overlooked.

“They have a wall around the Vatican,” Homan remarked. “And if you illegally enter the Vatican, the crime is serious — you’ll be charged with a serious crime, be jailed.”

Expressing frustration over what he saw as a double standard, Homan continued: “So he can protect the Vatican where he lives, he can build a wall where he lives, but American people are not allowed that? No.”

The seasoned law enforcement officer also warned of the dangers associated with lax border policies in the U.S.

“Securing the border saves lives. He needs to understand that,” Homan explained. “When less people come, less women get raped by the cartel, less children die in the river, less Americans die from fentanyl overdoses.”

Urging the Pope to focus on internal issues within the Catholic Church, Homan stated that Francis “ought to stick to the Catholic church and fix that, [since] that’s a mess.”

Homan’s remarks align with the reality that Vatican City enforces stringent border regulations.

Notably, just weeks before Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the Holy See strengthened its laws, imposing harsher financial penalties and lengthier prison terms for illegal entry, as reported by the Catholic News Agency.

Under the revised policies, individuals attempting unauthorized entry into the Vatican can now be fined between 10,000 and 25,000 euros (approximately $9,500 to $24,000) and sentenced to one to four years in prison. Those found guilty also risk being banned from Vatican territory for up to 15 years.

Historically, various popes have prioritized safeguarding Vatican City by constructing walls, many of which still stand today.

Francis, a member of the liberal-leaning Jesuit order, often speaks about aiding the poor and displaced, particularly in reference to mass migration into Europe from predominantly Islamic nations—groups against which earlier popes fortified their defenses.

Ironically, Homan’s counterarguments carried a deeper reflection of Christian principles than the Pope’s own criticisms.