ROME — Pope Francis issued a major rebuke Tuesday to the Trump administration’s mass deportation of migrants, warning that the program to forcefully deport people purely because of their illegal status deprives them of their inherent dignity and “will end badly.”

Pope Francis addressed the bishops of the United States on Tuesday about the country’s ongoing mass deportation of immigrants.

Faced with United States President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan, Pope Francis has published a letter chastising the policy and calling faithful and politicians alike to care for the poor and those whose dignity is threatened.

In a letter to US bishops, the Catholic leader warned that the plan will harm the already vulnerable. View on euronews

In the letter, the pope said the criminalization of migrants and the mass deportations planned by the U.S. government are dangerous and called the country's current immigration policies a “major crisis.

Pope Francis sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown in an unusual open letter sent to America's Catholic bishops on Tuesday. The pope, who earlier called Trump's plan to millions of migrants a "disgrace",