Many Christians believe Scripture affirms that nations have both a God-given right and a duty to regulate their borders. They often cite passages that present national boundaries and lawful authority as part of divine order.
Acts 17:26 is one of the most frequently referenced verses: “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.” For many believers, this affirms that God established distinct nations with defined borders.
Against this broader Christian understanding of borders and authority, Pope Leo XIV has now offered one of his clearest statements on immigration. “No one has said that the United States should have open borders. I think every country has a right to determine who and how and when people enter.” He said he believes illegal aliens should be treated humanely but stressed that this does not mean calling for open borders.
His Holiness delivered the remarks during an unscripted exchange at Castel Gandolfo, emphasizing that defending the dignity of migrants is not incompatible with enforcing immigration law. He praised the U.S. bishops for their recent pastoral message while reaffirming that the rule of law and a government’s right to control its borders are consistent with Christian teaching. He noted that illegal entry must be handled through the justice system, even though he acknowledged flaws in that system.
His comments closely reflected the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches that prosperous nations should welcome foreigners seeking security while still retaining the authority to regulate immigration for the sake of the common good.
Paragraph 2241 adds that immigrants must obey the laws of the country that receives them and respect its cultural and spiritual heritage. As the Catechism states, “Political authorities… may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions.”
CatholicVote President Kelsey Reinhardt recently echoed themes similar to those raised by Pope Leo. She argued that the federal government’s long-standing failure to maintain an orderly immigration system has enabled exploitation, strengthened cartels, and pushed millions of people into a shadow-world without legal protections or a clear path forward.
A new report by CatholicVote, Immigration Enforcement and the Christian Conscience, argues that enforcing immigration law is not immoral and that Catholic teaching supports both compassion for migrants and firm border control. The report criticizes the Biden administration’s border policies, which it says produced humanitarian disorder and encouraged illegal immigration.
Former Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli offered a similar interpretation of Catholic teaching, pointing to the two principles outlined in the Catechism’s section on immigration. He noted that prosperous nations should be generous in their immigration policies and that migrants are expected to respect the laws and customs of the country they enter.
Cuccinelli said the United States has long met the first expectation by welcoming people from around the world, but he argued that an illegal alien, by definition, fails to meet the second. For that reason, he said, large-scale enforcement of immigration law remains necessary.
In the Old Testament, Israel was repeatedly commanded not to trespass on the lands of Edom, Moab, or Ammon in Numbers 20–21 and Deuteronomy 2:4-19, because God had given those territories to other peoples. Deuteronomy 32:8 reinforces this concept: “When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people.”
The rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah is also cited as an example of secure borders being treated as a godly and necessary project. Land inheritance laws in Numbers and Joshua further underscore that defined and permanent borders were central to Israel’s covenant life.
New Testament passages about civil authority are also used to argue that governments have a legitimate role in enforcing immigration laws. Romans 13:1-7 teaches that governing authorities are ordained by God and “beareth not the sword in vain,” a passage applied to the state’s responsibility to uphold order and punish violations.
First Peter 2:13-17 likewise instructs Christians to submit to civil authority, which some interpret as extending to immigration laws, including consequences for illegal entry.
Another recurring argument comes from the distinction between the legal sojourner and the unauthorized foreigner in the Old Testament. Commands in Leviticus 19:33-34, Exodus 22:21, and Deuteronomy 10:19 to “love the stranger” refer to the ger, the lawful resident alien who had submitted to Israel’s authority.
These passages are contrasted with warnings about unauthorized foreigners, such as Ezekiel 44:7-9, and laws imposing equal accountability on natives and foreigners in Numbers 15:15-16. Deuteronomy 28:43-44 is also mentioned in these discussions as a warning about disorder when foreigners rise above the native population: “The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.”
It seems that both the Catechism and the Bible support a nation’s right to regulate immigration. Consequently, when liberals and Democrats ask, “As a Christian, how can you support deportations?” one can honestly answer, “Because the Bible told me so.”
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