A longstanding Catholic ministry serving vulnerable migrant children is facing closure after a sudden federal funding decision, raising serious concerns among Church leaders and advocates, according to reporting from the The Daily Beast.
The Trump administration has canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, a program that has cared for unaccompanied minors for decades. The move comes amid ongoing tensions between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, particularly over immigration and global conflict.
According to The Daily Beast, the program could be forced to shut down within three months, ending more than 60 years of service to children who entered the United States without parents or guardians.
In a response published in the Miami Herald, Archbishop Thomas Wenski expressed deep concern over the decision, calling it difficult to understand.
“Our track record in serving this vulnerable population is unmatched,” Wenski wrote, according to The Daily Beast. “Yet, the Archdiocese of Miami’s Catholic Charities’ services for unaccompanied minors has been stripped of funding and will be forced to shut down within three months.”
He added that the program has long been recognized as a model for care across the country, stating that its services “have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country,” according to The Daily Beast.
The funding had been administered through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, which has partnered with Catholic Charities for years to house and care for migrant children. A government spokesperson cited a sharp decline in the number of unaccompanied minors in federal care as the reason for the cancellation. According to The Daily Beast, the number has dropped to about 1,900 children, compared to a previous peak of roughly 22,000.
Despite the lower numbers, Archbishop Wenski questioned the decision, saying 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” demonstrated by the Church’s work, according to The Daily Beast.
Concerns are also growing about the children currently under the charity’s care. Their future remains uncertain if the program closes.
Robert Latham of the University of Miami Law School warned of the emotional toll such disruptions could cause. “For little kids, moving repeatedly creates bonding issues and destroys the sense of both self and community,” he said, according to The Daily Beast. “They don’t know who they are and where they will be [from day to day,].”
The decision comes during a broader public dispute between President Trump and Pope Leo XIV. The Daily Beast reports that Trump has criticized the Pope’s positions, at one point describing him as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” The president also drew backlash after sharing an AI-generated image depicting himself as Jesus Christ, which he later removed.
As this situation unfolds, Church leaders and advocates continue to emphasize the human cost behind policy decisions, particularly for children already facing hardship and uncertainty.
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