In his nascent papacy, Pope Leo XIV has so far skirted a direct confrontation with the White House over its treatment of immigrants.

But on Wednesday Pope Leo made some of his strongest comments yet, urging U.S. bishops to strongly support immigrants as President Trump escalated his deportation campaign, including in Chicago, the pope’s hometown.

With National Guard troops expected to arrive in Chicago, Pope Leo met with a group of Catholics from El Paso. The group gave the pope more than 100 handwritten letters, written by immigrants — mostly undocumented individuals but also mixed families — living in Catholic communities across the United States.

The letters were tied together with twine and included a small yellow note that read, in Spanish, “Pope Leo, please listen to the clamor of those who are being marginalized.”

Bishop Mark J. Seitz, long an outspoken supporter for immigrants in the United States, was among those in the group. “We could see his eyes watering up a little bit,” he said about the pope. “He said, ‘I am happy to stand with you.’”