James Anthony Tamayo

Who is James Anthony Tamayo?

James Anthony Tamayo is the current bishop of Laredo, Texas. He was ordained a priest on July 11, 1976 and ordained a bishop on March 10, 1993, becoming auxiliary bishop of Galveston-Houston and titular bishop of Ita. On August 9, 2000, he was installed as the bishop of the newly founded Diocese of Laredo in Webb County in South Texas.

Tamayo holds a Master in Arts in Theology from the University of St. Thomas and attended St. Mary's Seminary in Houston.

Tamayo is a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and an advocate for the rights of immigrants. On September 10, 2008, Tamayo called upon the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to halt work-place raids in search of illegal immigrants. "We have respect for our enforcement personnel, but these worksite raids are only pitting human beings against each other. We must abandon the raids."