Trump Axes Migrant Child Care Deal With Catholic Charities in Miami Amid Feud With Pope Leo XIV

The Trump administration has canceled an $11 million federal contract with Catholic Charities in Miami that provided housing and care for unaccompanied migrant children, abruptly ending a decades-long partnership between the U.S. government and the Catholic Church.

The move comes as tensions escalate between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV, whose criticism of U.S. policies on migration and the war in Iran has drawn direct responses from the president.

The contract, administered through the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the Department of Health and Human Services, funded a network of shelters and foster care services for migrant children arriving in the United States without parents or guardians. Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Miami operated one such program, including an 81-bed shelter and a broader system focused on family reunification and trauma-informed care.

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said the decision would force the program to shut down within three months, as reported by The Miami Herald. "The U.S. government has abruptly decided to end more than 60 years of relationship with Catholic Charities," Wenski wrote, adding that the organization's services "have been recognized for their excellence" and "served as a model for other agencies throughout the country."

Federal officials pointed to a sharp decline in the number of unaccompanied minors in government custody as a key factor. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the daily population has dropped to about 1,900 under the current administration, compared to a peak of roughly 22,000 in prior years.

A spokesperson told the Herald that the agency is "closing and consolidating unused facilities" as part of broader efforts to reduce illegal entry and human smuggling.

Despite that decline, experts warned that relocating children currently in care could have significant consequences. Robert Latham, of the University of Miami Law School, said repeated moves can be "incredibly psychologically harmful," particularly for children who have already experienced instability.

The cancellation also disrupts a long-standing historical relationship between the federal government and Catholic Charities, dating back to Operation Pedro Pan in the 1960s, when the church helped resettle thousands of Cuban children in the United States.

Wenski, speaking earlier this week, said tensions between political and religious leaders are not unusual but noted that the current dispute is notable for its intensity. "As religious leaders we should be political but not partisan," Wenski said. "Politics is about how we organize society ... and the church has something to say about that. What ways we can organize society that will increase human flourishing?"