Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson referenced the Bible in response to criticism by Pope Leo over the Trump administration’s immigration practices.
Pope Leo urged the humane treatment of “migrants” in October and referred to the Gospel of Mathew 25:31-40, stating, “The Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord who, on the day of judgment, will say to those on his right: ‘I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.’” Following some pushback, he later clarified that the church was not advocating for open borders.
When asked about the Pope’s comments during a press conference on Wednesday, Johnson also cited the Bible.
“Borders and walls are biblical — from the Old Testament to the New, God has allowed us to set up our civil societies and have separate nations,” Johnson said.
“Immigration is not something that’s frowned upon in Scripture. In fact, it’s welcomed. We are to welcome the sojourner and love our neighbor as ourselves. But what’s also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected, and anticipated, and proper. When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change its society. They’re expected to assimilate. We haven’t had a lot of that going on.”
Johnson went on to argue that the Bible calls for “civil authorities” to “maintain order” within a society, and that’s what the Trump administration seeks to do.
Q: Pope Leo cited Matthew 25:35 to critique Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. How would you respond to Pope Leo in scripture?
MIKE JOHNSON: Sovereign borders are biblical and right and just. It’s not because we hate the people on the outside. It’s because we love the… pic.twitter.com/eS4A5dtXRt
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 3, 2026
“When people cite passages out of the Old Testament, I say, ‘Well, you’re supposed to take care of the sojourner and the neighbor and treat them as yourself, welcome them in.’ Yes, but that is an admonition to individuals, not to civil authorities. The civil authorities are given authority under Scripture to maintain order. Romans 12 — you want to do this?”
“Romans 13 says that the civil authorities are God’s agents of wrath to bring punishment upon the wrongdoer. And it says, ‘If you do right, you have no fear of the civil authorities, but those civil authorities are necessary.’ It’s a calling. It’s a calling to maintain order in society. And we have not had that.”
Johnson later followed up on his statement with a lengthy explanation on X:
In the press gaggle following today’s vote, I was asked to defend the Biblical case for border security and immigration enforcement. I did so, and then promised to post a longer explanation that I drafted during the Biden Administration. Here it is, and I hope it’s helpful:… pic.twitter.com/tHC4kf7uEC
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) February 3, 2026
“Read in its context, the passage in Leviticus 19 makes perfect sense,” Johnson said in part.
“Showing love and kindness to a stranger was not a command given to civil government, but instead to individual believers. That same principle is emphasized in the New Testament. When Jesus spoke of embracing, caring, and providing for ‘the least of these’ (E.g., Matt. 25:31-40), His instruction was given to His disciples, and not the local authorities.”
“The Bible is clear that Christians should practice personal charity—but also insist 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 went on to accuse the Left of citing Scripture out of context to bolster their open border agenda.
“They should be kindly corrected with the facts (2 Tim. 2:24-25),” he said.
