The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops elected Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City as its new president on Tuesday. Coakley has spoken out as a defender of migrants amid the deportation campaign promoted by Donald Trump.

Coakley was considered a strong contender for the top job, having been elected in 2022 to serve as secretary, the third highest-ranking official in the conference. In three rounds of voting, he defeated the centrist candidate, Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, who was subsequently elected vice president. The 271 participating bishops elected Coakley, 70, after three rounds of voting during the annual fall plenary assembly held in Baltimore, Maryland, according to the specialized media outlet National Catholic Reporter. Coakley will succeed Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Archdiocese for the United States Military Services, who had served as president of the organization since 2022. Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Texas, considered the other frontrunner for the position, was elected vice president. “I am deeply honored by the trust my brother bishops have placed in me,” Coakley declared on the social network X, where he stated that he accepts the position “with faith and great hope.” Last January, two days after the installation In response to Trump's remarks, Coakley issued a statement urging Catholics to remember that Joseph and Mary "fled their country to save the life of their son," Jesus, who "was a refugee." "As Christians, we must reflect on this again, now that the debate over 'mass deportation' is gaining momentum, generating fear and even anguish among our immigrant neighbors," he noted. Coakley emphasized that "immigrants have been essential to the growth and prosperity of the United States" and highlighted "the importance of loving your neighbor as yourself."

Bishop Flores had also defended the migrant cause: “I feel that, as a conference, we must speak out more firmly regarding the dignity of immigrants, to say that they are not criminals, but vulnerable families,” he declared.