Pope Leo XIV has promoted a former undocumented immigrant to lead West Virginia Catholics in a sign he won’t be intimidated by President Donald Trump.
Evelio Menjivar-Ayala came to the U.S. in 1990 as an undocumented immigrant, having been smuggled into the country in the trunk of a car.
On Friday, Pope Leo, who has criticized Trump’s hardline stance on immigration, tapped Menjivar-Ayala to be West Virginia’s new bishop. He will replace retiring West Virginia Bishop Mark Brennan, a man who, incidentally, helped Menjivar-Ayala secure a green card years ago.
Menjivar-Ayala, 55, has told the Washington Post how he fled violence in his home country of El Salvador three times when he was a teenager before finally arriving in Los Angeles, where his sister was living. He worked as a janitor, painter, and in construction before entering religious life.
In 2023, Pope Francis named Menjivar-Ayala an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington. Now, Menjivar-Ayala will lead the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers West Virginia’s 91 parishes and its more than 100,000 Catholics.
In addition to his personal history, Menjivar-Ayala’s public comments have put him at odds with Trump. Just a few weeks ago, he wrote a column in the National Catholic Reporter urging fellow Catholics to oppose how Trump has been treating immigrants.
“We must stand with those at risk... and we cannot let the dark side of anti-immigrant animus take hold,” he wrote.
“Tragically, this onslaught is instead being met with silence by many—or even approval,” he continued. “To those of you who are silent or think this does not involve you, to those of you who are not troubled by this—or worse, who applaud it—particularly those who are Catholic, I ask you: Do you not see the suffering of your neighbors? Do you not realize the pain and misery and very real fear and anxiety these unjust government operations and policies are causing? Is your conscience not disturbed? How can you stay quiet?”
Pope Leo’s personnel moves on Friday weren’t limited to Menjivar-Ayala. He elevated to auxiliary bishop of Washington, Rev. Robert Boxie III, the chaplain of Howard University. Boxie has criticized the Trump administration’s “un-American” and “un-Christian” efforts to chip away at diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
“In a lot of ways we have made great progress, but in so many ways, I feel like we’re regressing,” Boxie told OSV News in 2025. “It’s really frustrating—especially this moment that we’re living in. The attacks on ‘DEI’—I don’t even know what that means anymore. It’s a term that’s been hijacked. It means a lot of things to a lot of different people.”
Also named auxiliary bishop in Washington was Gary Studniewski, who told The Catholic Standard that the January 6 insurrection was “sickening.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Beast about the three appointments.
Trump has taken issue with the pope’s pushback on his Iran war and immigration actions, and has said on Truth Social that he should “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” Trump has also been falsely attributing statements to the pope.
Leo responded that he has “no fear of the Trump administration.”
