The Trump administration has canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami to house and care for unaccompanied migrant children, a move that will end a decades-long partnership with the federal government.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has funded the program for years, relying on Catholic Charities to operate what amounts to a federally supported foster care system for children entering the U.S. without parents or guardians, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.
Federal officials contacted the organization in late March about the cancellation.
HHS told the Herald that the number of unaccompanied migrant children in federal custody has dropped significantly, with the daily population at 1,900 during President Donald Trump’s second term compared to a peak of 22,000 during the Biden administration.
"ORR is closing and consolidating unused facilities as the Trump administration continues efforts to stop illegal entry and the smuggling and trafficking of unaccompanied alien children," HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard told the Herald.
The development comes amid rising tensions between the administration and American Catholics over President Donald Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV, the Vatican’s first American pontiff, on the pope’s criticisms of the conflict in Iran.
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said the decision will force the program to shut down.
"The U.S. government has abruptly decided to end more than 60 years of relationship with Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami," he wrote in a statement shared with the Herald by the archdiocese.
"The Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country," Wenski added.
He warned, "Our track record in serving this vulnerable population is unmatched.
"Yet, the Archdiocese of Miami’s Catholic Charities’ services for unaccompanied minors have been stripped of funding and will be forced to shut down within three months."
Wenski acknowledged declining migration levels but questioned the decision, writing that although "it is true that the number of unaccompanied minors" has fallen and "some programs may be scaled back" or shuttered, "it is baffling that the U.S. government would shut down a program that it would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence" shown by the church.
Children remain in Catholic Charities’ care in Miami and elsewhere, though it is unclear how many or where they will be placed.
The relocation could deepen trauma for minors already facing instability.
"It’s incredibly psychologically harmful to be moved," Robert Latham of the University of Miami Law School told the Herald.
"For little kids, moving repeatedly creates bonding issues and destroys the sense of both self and community."
Catholic Charities operates shelters, foster homes, and reunification services in Miami-Dade County, including the 81-bed Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children’s Village.
The Catholic Church’s role in caring for unaccompanied children in South Florida dates to Operation Pedro Pan in the 1960s, when thousands of Cuban children were brought to Miami.
Wenski wrote, "The positive impact of this cooperation between the federal government and Catholic Charities can be readily seen in the lives of former Pedro Pan children who, through this intervention, grew up to be successful members of our communities."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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