James Anthony Tamayo (born October 23, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Laredo in Texas since 2000. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston in Texas from 1993 to 2000. Biography Early life and priesthood James Tamayo was born on October 23, 1949, in Brownsville, Texas, the son of Antonio P. Tamayo and Guadalupe B. Tamayo. He has a sister, Mrs. Mercy Barrera of Corpus Christi. He holds a Master of Theology degree from the University of St. Thomas in and attended St. Mary's Seminary, both in Houston, Texas. Tamayo was ordained a priest by Bishop Thomas Joseph Drury for the Diocese of Corpus Christi on July 11, 1976. Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston Pope John Paul II appointed Tamayo as an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston on January 26, 1993. He was consecrated by Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza on March 10, 1993. He also became the titular bishop of Ita. Bishop of Laredo On July 3, 2000, Pope Paul II appointed Tamayo as bishop of the newly founded Diocese of Laredo. On August 9, 2000, he was installed as its first bishop. 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."In March 2015, Tamayo was among eighty religious figures who signed a letter to President Barack H. Obama asking that the government halt the practice of detaining families who have come into the United States illegally. He visited a detention center in Dilley,Texas and expressed concern for the women being held there, some for a long time. Controversies In March 2016, Tamayo halted the construction of a Catholic student center at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) in Laredo. The Brothers of St. John, key sponsors of the $4 million-plus project, held a groundbreaking ceremony in November 2013. Tamayo did not attend the groundbreaking; nor did he offer an explanation for his opposition to the project, even to TAMIU President Ray Keck. Hundreds of thousands of preliminary funds have already been spent on the project, which has been on the drawing board for a decade. Glen S. Jackson of Alexandria questioned Tamayo's