Three American cardinals went on 60 Minutes to criticize ICE — and the response from millions of Catholic voters may surprise them.
Cardinals Joseph Tobin of Newark, Robert McElroy of Washington D.C., and Blase Cupich of Chicago appeared jointly on CBS’s 60 Minutes on April 12, 2026, criticizing the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement and the Iran war.  Cardinal Tobin, pressed on his earlier description of ICE as a “lawless organization,” clarified his position: “I didn’t say that they were people without law. But when people act in this way, when they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well I think somebody’s got to call that out and I’m not the only one.” 
Interviewer Norah O’Donnell pointed out directly that President Trump won the Catholic vote 55 to 43 percent over Kamala Harris — that a majority of Catholics voted for the very policies these cardinals were criticizing.  Cardinal Cupich’s response: he wanted to know what Catholics felt about “indiscriminate” enforcement.
The tension here is real and it runs deep. The Catholic Church has a long, documented tradition of defending the dignity of immigrants — rooted in Scripture and embodied in centuries of practice. The Trump administration has a mandate from the majority of Catholic voters to enforce the law. Both of those things are simultaneously true — and neither side seems fully ready to sit with the tension that creates.
ICE agents wear masks because they and their families have received credible threats. Whether that constitutes terrorism or reasonable precaution is exactly the kind of question cardinals and voters are answering differently right now.
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” — Proverbs 31:8
The Church has always been called to speak for the vulnerable. Catholics just disagree on who that is right now.
What do you think — should Catholic cardinals be publicly criticizing immigration enforcement, or stay out of politics? #america #accountability #justice
