Trump Terminates $11m Catholic Charities Migrant Children Contract Amid Policy Shift

The Donald Trump administration has terminated an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, ending a long-standing arrangement that supported care services for unaccompanied migrant children in the United States.

The contract, which funded shelter and support operations under the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, had enabled Catholic Charities to provide housing, supervision and welfare services to migrant minors arriving in the country without parents or legal guardians.

Officials cited in reports said the decision followed a sharp decline in the number of unaccompanied minors currently in federal custody, arguing that reduced caseloads had made some contracted facilities unnecessary. The administration has therefore moved to consolidate services and scale down related expenditures.

Catholic leaders and immigration advocates, however, have criticised the decision. Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami described the termination as “baffling,” noting that the organisation has for decades played a key humanitarian role in protecting vulnerable children and supporting federal migration response systems.

The Archdiocese of Miami also stressed that while current occupancy at the facility is low, the centre remains important for responding to potential future surges in migrant arrivals, particularly from regions affected by instability. It added that arrangements are being made for the safe transfer of children currently under its care to other federally funded facilities as the programme winds down.

The development adds to ongoing debates in the United States over immigration management and federal partnerships with faith-based organisations involved in humanitarian services.