Pastor critical of Trump's deportation policies to oversee MAGA stronghold in Florida

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father Emilio Biosca Agüero, a pastor critical of the Trump administration deportation policies, as Bishop of Naples. The Father will oversee a conservative southwest Florida diocese.

According to Christopher Hale's Letters from Leo, Biosca Agüero has led the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in D.C. since 2019, serving a primarily Salvadoran congregation of 5,600 members. Since immigration enforcement intensified last August, over 40 parishioners have been detained or deported, with six arrested in a single stretch; including an usher, a man preparing for marriage, and a confirmation student.

Attendance at services dropped 20 percent as parishioners feared public visibility.

In an NBC News profile published in 2025, Biosca Agüero expressed frustration, criticizing Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents for targeting anyone appearing Hispanic, rather than violent criminals.

The Naples Diocese covers southwest Florida counties Trump won decisively in 2024, featuring a rapidly growing Hispanic Catholic community. This appointment follows similar papal moves placing Central America-connected clergy in prominent positions overseeing Republican areas, including bishops in Palm Beach and West Virginia.

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