Vatican City: Pope Francis on Monday criticized US President Donald Trump's program for the mass deportations of illegal immigrants. 'The rightly formed conscience cannot fail to make a critical judgment and express its disagreement with any measure that tacitly or explicitly identifies the illegal status of some migrants with criminality,' Francis said in a letter, underlining that he is watching the 'major crisis' in the US over the deportations. According to Anadolu Agency, the pontiff acknowledged a country's right to protect its communities from individuals who have committed violent or serious crimes. However, he added that deporting people who have often left their homeland due to extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution, or environmental issues damages the dignity of many individuals and families, placing them in a state of vulnerability and defenselessness. Pope Francis emphasized that actions based on force rather than the truth of equal dignity for all humans are flawed and will lea d to negative outcomes. He urged against embracing narratives that discriminate against migrants and refugees, causing unnecessary suffering. From his first day in office on January 20, President Trump has signed executive orders focused on expelling large numbers of illegal immigrants, including attempts to end birthright citizenship. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has since increased arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants.