US pulls $11m funding from Catholic Charities amid Trump-Pope Leo t£nsions
US pulls $11m funding from Catholic Charities amid Trump-Pope Leo tensions
The Donald Trump administration has abruptly cancelled an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, state of Florida, to shelter and care for unaccompanied migrant children.
The decision ends a relationship with the Catholic Church that dates back more than 60 years to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida.
The cancellation comes amid tensions between the Trump administration and the leadership of the Catholic Church, with President Donald Trump earlier this week tagging Pope Leo XIV “weak on crime, and terrible for foreign policy” and the American pontiff replying he had no fear of the administration.
According to Miami Herald, the Office of Refugee Resettlement, part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), notified the charity in late March that the contract would be terminated.
The programme, which operates the equivalent of a federally-funded foster care system for children entering the US without parents or guardians, is expected to shut down within three months.
The report quoted Archbishop of Miami, Most Revd Thomas Wenski as calling the decision “abrupt” in a statement.
“The US government has abruptly decided to end more than 60 years of relationship with Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami.
“The Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognised for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country. Our track record in serving this vulnerable population is unmatched,” the cleric said.
The programme includes an 81-bed children’s village in Miami-Dade County and provides foster homes, family reunification services and support for children who have experienced trauma.
It traces its origins to the 1960s, including Operation Pedro Pan, a joint effort by the US government and Catholic Charities that helped relocate an estimated 14,000 Cuban children fleeing the Castro regime.
HHS press secretary, Emily G. Hillard said the daily population of unaccompanied children in federal care has dropped sharply to about 1,900 under the Trump administration, compared with a peak of 22,000 during the Biden years.
“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,” she said, without specifically naming Catholic Charities.
Wenski, a longtime advocate for immigrants, acknowledged the decline in numbers but disagreed with the decision.
He said, “It is baffling that the US government would shut down a programme that it would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence” shown by the church.
