Pope Bob Chooses Formerly Undocumented Dude To Be Archbishop Of Pissing Off Trump Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, who immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager, has been appointed the new archbishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Menjivar-Ayala, previously the U.S.‘s first Salvadoran-born bishop, has publicly opposed former President Trump’s immigration policies, advocating for empathy and a welcoming approach to borders. His appointment by Pope Francis is seen as significant, given his personal history and outspoken views on immigration and human dignity.

• Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, who entered the U.S. illegally in 1990, has been promoted to archbishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.
• Menjivar-Ayala, the first Salvadoran-born bishop in the U.S., has spoken out against Trump’s “mass deportation / ethnic cleansing agenda.”
• He detailed his journey, including paying coyotes to smuggle him across the border in a car trunk, seeking asylum, and eventually becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006.
• Menjivar-Ayala’s perspective on borders is that they can be “meeting place[s] where people exchange products, ideas and customs, giving birth to new possibilities.”
• He has drawn parallels between his own advocacy and the principles of the assassinated Archbishop Óscar Romero, urging government officials to follow their conscience and cease repression.
• Pope Francis’s appointment of Menjivar-Ayala is highlighted as a move that elevates a voice in contrast to prevailing anti-immigrant sentiments.