Pope Leos Shocking Pick: Former Illegal Immigrant Tapped As Lone Bishop For This State

According to Mediaite, the Vatican announced on Friday that Menjivar-Ayala will assume leadership of the diocese, with the news first circulated by journalist Christopher Hale, who publishes the Substack newsletter Letters from Leo. Hale noted the extraordinary nature of the appointment, given the bishop-designates past and the current political climate surrounding border security and immigration enforcement in the United States.

Hale explained that as a teenager, he made three attempts to enter the United States illegally. He further reported that Menjivar-Ayala finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car with his brother over the border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.

May 02, 2026

Once in California, Menjivar-Ayala initially took janitorial and construction jobs as he tried to establish himself in his new country. Only later did he discern a vocation to the priesthood, a path that would ultimately lead him to the American episcopacy.

A 2024 report added that the future bishop had arrived in the United States at the age of 18 as an illegal immigrant, and after applying for asylum and gaining a work permit and later a green card, he became a U.S. citizen in 2006. That same account noted, In his first job, he worked as a receptionist at a law firm in Los Angeles. For the first time, he received a paycheck for his work, and like many immigrants, he began sending money back home to El Salvador to help his family there.

The choice is striking in light of President Donald Trumps firm stance on border control and his administrations pledge of mass deportations to restore the rule of law. Pope Leo, by contrast, has repeatedly signaled sympathy for migrants, and on Americas 250th birthday this July, he will underscore that priority by skipping a U.S. visit and instead traveling to a Mediterranean island known as a gateway for North African migrants into Europe.