CHRISTOPHER HALE: [Evelio Menijar-Ayala] finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car with his brother over the border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego.

This is the USCCB disenfranchising American Catholics from the Catholic Churches they grew up in. There's nothing random about this. https://t.co/UK9UdD5ozO

— Stephen Coughlin (@S_Coughlin_DC) May 1, 2026

USCCB, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 

from Christopher Hale:

NEW: Pope Leo XIV has named Salvadoran immigrant Evelio Menijar-Ayala to be West Virginia’s lone Catholic bishop. 

As a teenager, he made three attempts to enter the United States illegally. 

He finally arrived in California in 1990, having been smuggled in the trunk of a car with his brother over the border crossing between Tijuana and San Diego. 

Over the next several years, Menjivar-Ayala worked janitorial and construction jobs in California before deciding to become a priest. 

It’s a remarkable choice in a state that [was] over 90% white and voted for President Trump by 42 points.