Pope and New York mayor stress immigrants before US anniversary

Pope Leo XIV and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered pro-immigrant messages ahead of the United States’ 250th Independence Day, according to Al Jazeera. Their remarks put immigration and national identity at the center of the anniversary as President Donald Trump’s administration pursues sweeping restrictions.

Al Jazeera reported that the statements came Friday, one day before July 4 celebrations marking the 1776 signing of the Declaration of Independence. The outlet described the speeches as an implicit challenge to Trump’s immigration policies, though neither Pope Leo nor Mamdani named the president.

Pope Leo, the first pope born in the United States, addressed an audience by video from the Vatican to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Al Jazeera reported. The Chicago-born pontiff praised immigrants’ role in shaping the country and called on the US to honor its founding ideals while recognizing human dignity across borders.

In his address, Pope Leo said America became known as a place of freedom as it welcomed successive waves of immigrants, according to Al Jazeera. He also urged a public conversation marked by restraint, respect and efforts to find shared ground.

Al Jazeera reported that Leo had previously called the Trump administration’s immigration policies “inhuman.” In Friday’s speech, described by the outlet as his most extensive address to the US so far, he said the anniversary offered a chance to reflect on founding principles and keep faith with the country’s image as “land of the free and home of the brave.”

Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of the country’s most populous city, spoke in a video while surrounded by newly naturalized citizens in New York, Al Jazeera reported. The city has about nine million residents and more than 200 languages are spoken there, according to the outlet.

Mamdani, who became a naturalized US citizen in 2018, urged listeners to reject forces that define freedom narrowly, Al Jazeera reported. He said some people claim America is diminished by welcoming more people and belongs only to those with a preferred accent or skin color.

The mayor’s remarks followed victories by candidates he backed in New York Democratic primaries, according to Al Jazeera. The outlet reported that those wins advanced the candidates toward November’s midterm elections and showed Mamdani’s growing influence, as well as a leftward shift within the Democratic Party.

Al Jazeera placed the speeches within a longer fight over American ideals, including whether the country should emphasize diversity or reject policies associated with diversity, equity and inclusion. The outlet reported that Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller has helped shape the administration’s immigration agenda and has argued that current immigration practices threaten the country.

During Trump’s second term, Miller has led efforts to limit many forms of immigration, including refugee admissions, asylum applications and temporary visas, while the administration also pursues mass deportations, Al Jazeera reported. Trump also signed an executive order on the first day of his second term seeking to end birthright citizenship.

Al Jazeera reported that critics said ending birthright citizenship would violate the Constitution and could leave some children effectively stateless. The US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s order days before the anniversary, but the court also backed another part of his agenda on June 25 by allowing immigration agents to physically block asylum seekers from reaching US soil to apply for protection.

Trump traveled Friday to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, where he was scheduled to give one of several speeches for the 250th anniversary, Al Jazeera reported. He also had a Saturday night address scheduled in Washington, DC, according to the outlet.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.