The Trump administration has canceled a contract for millions of dollars in funding to Catholic Charities in Miami.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), under the Department of Health and Human Services, has long provided funding to the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami under the unaccompanied children program. Federal spending data shows that Catholic Charities received $11 million from HHS in fiscal year 2025, but the award ended as of March 31.
Thomas Wenski, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, called for a review of the decision in an April 15 op-ed in the Miami Herald. He said the archdiocese has worked with the ORR since 1960 to provide shelter and other services to thousands of unaccompanied minor children. But its abrupt end would force the organization to shut down services within three months.
“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 and excellence that Catholic Charities has achieved if and when future waves of unaccompanied minors reach our shores,” he wrote in the op-ed.
The end of the contract comes as President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Pope Leo XIV after His Holiness called for an end to the war in Iran. Here is what we know:
Did the Trump administration cancel a contract with Catholic Charities?
Yes, HHS opted not to renew a contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami.
Asked about the decision to end the funding, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard said the number of unaccompanied children in ORR care had dropped under the Trump administration.
“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,” Hilliard said. The decision not to renew the contract occurred on Feb. 16, according to HHS.
Wenski addressed that argument in his op-ed, but pointed to the long history of the programs. Shelter Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children’s Village, which helped resettle approximately 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children under Operation “Pedro Pan” in the early 1960s, can house up to 81 children today.
“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,” Wenski wrote in the op-ed.
Two Republican lawmakers, Rep. María Elvira Salazar and Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, also issued a letter to the ORR asking the department to reconsider the decision.
“South Florida has always been the frontline of humanitarian migration in our hemisphere,” the April 3 letter read. They also warned of future migration from Cuba and Haiti. “Catholic Charities provides what cannot be quickly replaced: trained staff, proven infrastructure, and decades of expertise … Losing this capacity now will only make future response efforts more costly, slower, and less effective.”
Wenski gave a press conference on April 16, calling on the federal government to reconsider the decision.
“Nobody’s told us why we weren’t refunded, but I think it’s a little bit of political gamemanship because of the narrative that was put forth in that very heated debate or discussion about immigration and border control … and frankly, lies were told about the work of the church,” he said.
Catholic Charities funding cut comes as Trump publicly admonishes Pope Leo
Wenski at the press conference denied the decision was due to the “recent dustup” between Trump and the Pope, according to local station WSVN.
Trump on April 12 issued a lengthy criticism of Pope Leo XIV. The pontiff has directly criticized the war in Iran as well as Trump’s harsh language in the conflict, such as the president’s threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight.”
Trump called the pope “WEAK on Crime,” and took credit for Leo’s selection to the papacy.
His Holiness responded to the post on April 13 while talking to reporters, saying, “I have no fear with neither the Trump administration, nor speaking out loudly about the message of the Gospel.”
Trump, on April 16, said he isn’t fighting with the pope, but disagreeing with him and he has a right to.
Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey, Zac Anderson, Terry Collins, Bart Jansen and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at KCrowley@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X (Twitter), Threads, Bluesky and TikTok. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Did Trump cancel contract with Catholic Charities? What we know
Reporting by Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
