The Trump administration has abruptly terminated an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami that provided shelter and care for unaccompanied migrant children — a 60-year partnership axed as the President’s public war of words with Pope Leo XIV reaches a new intensity.
The cancellation ends a relationship between the Catholic Church and the US government dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida, and comes as Pope Leo XIV has made opposition to the US war with Iran, as well as concern for the welfare of migrants, a cornerstone of his ministry.
Archbishop: “Track Record Is Unmatched”
Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski condemned the move in a written statement, saying: “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.”
He added: “Our track record in serving this vulnerable population is unmatched. 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.”
The contract, administered through the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, had funded a network of shelters and foster care services for migrant children arriving in the United States without parents or guardians. Catholic Charities operated an 81-bed shelter in Miami-Dade and a broader system focused on family reunification and trauma-informed care.
Washington Cites Falling Numbers, Not the Pope
The Department of Health and Human Services, responding to a media inquiry, said the daily population of unaccompanied migrant children in the agency’s care was “significantly lower,” at 1,900 under the Trump administration, compared to a peak of 22,000 under the Biden administration — citing this as the justification for ending the arrangement.
Critics, however, have pointed to the timing — coming days after Trump’s very public attacks on Pope Leo XIV — as evidence that the cancellation carries a punitive dimension that goes beyond administrative efficiency.
Trump’s Escalating Attack on Pope Leo
Just days before the funding cancellation was reported, Trump told reporters: “We don’t like a pope that’s gonna say that it’s okay to have a nuclear weapon. We don’t want a pope that says crime is okay in our cities. I don’t like it. I’m not a big fan of Pope Leo. He’s a very liberal person, and he’s a man that doesn’t believe in stopping crime.”
The Pope had written on social media: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Military action will not create space for freedom or times of peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.” Trump responded by saying he had “nothing to apologise for,” and called the Pope “wrong.”
Children Caught in the Crossfire
The human stakes of the contract cancellation are significant. Should migrant children still in the care of Catholic Charities need to be relocated, experts warn the undertaking would be substantial — with finding licensed foster homes and shelters potentially taking months.
The Archbishop noted that many children in the programme had endured considerable trauma before arriving in the United States, underscoring the sensitivity of any disruption to their care arrangements.
Wenski, reflecting on the broader political moment, said: “As religious leaders we should be political but not partisan. Politics is about how we organise society — and the church has something to say about that. What ways can we organise society that will increase human flourishing?”
The Vatican has not issued a specific response to the contract cancellation as of the time of this report.
