Pope Leo told US bishops visiting him at the Vatican on Wednesday that they should firmly address how immigrants are being treated by President Donald Trump’s hard-line policies, attendees said, in the latest push by the pontiff on the issue.

Leo, the first US pope, was handed dozens of letters from immigrants describing their fears of deportation under the Trump administration’s policies during the meeting, which included bishops and social workers from the US-Mexico border.

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“Our Holy Father … is very personally concerned about these matters,” El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who took part in the meeting, told Reuters. “He expressed his desire that the US Bishops’ Conference would speak strongly on this issue.”

“It means a lot to all of us to know of his personal desire that we continue to speak out,” said Seitz.

The Vatican did not immediately comment on the pope’s meeting.

Elected in May to replace the late Pope Francis, Leo has shown a much more reserved style than his predecessor, who frequently criticised the Trump administration and often spoke in surprise, off-the-cuff remarks.

But Leo has been ramping up his criticism in recent weeks.

The pope questioned on September 30 whether the Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies were in line with the Catholic Church’s pro-life teachings, in comments that drew heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics.

The White House has said Trump was elected based on his many promises, including to deport criminal illegal aliens.

One of the letters given to the pope on Wednesday, shared with Reuters, described a family with two members who did not have legal permission to stay in the US and who were afraid to leave the house for fear of deportation.

“I believe the Pope should speak out openly against the raids and the unfair treatment the community is experiencing,” read the letter, written in Spanish.

Leo also met privately with a group of about 100 American Catholics involved in ministry with migrants on Tuesday evening, thanking them for their work.

• A Reuters report