The Donald Trump Administration has abruptly canceled an 11 million dollar contract with Catholic Charities in Miami for the reception of unaccompanied migrant minors, putting an end to a collaboration with the Church that dated back more than six decades.
The decision, communicated at the end of March, will force the closure of the program within a three-month period, as confirmed by the Archdiocese of Miami, which managed a network of reception and guardianship for these minors entirely financed with federal funds.
End of a model sustained with public money
For years, Catholic Charities has operated in practice as a reception system subsidized by the US Government, housing migrant minors without family under the supervision of the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, regretted the decision and defended the program’s track record, assuring that its services “have been recognized for their excellence” and that its model “has served as a reference for other agencies”.
However, the cancellation exposes the fragility of a system heavily dependent on state funding, whose continuity was not guaranteed outside of political decisions.
Fewer migrant minors, less funding
The US Government has justified the measure by pointing to the significant drop in the number of migrant minors in federal custody, which has gone from a maximum of 22,000 during the Biden Administration to about 1,900 currently.
The Trump Administration defends the closure and consolidation of centers as responding to a stricter policy to curb illegal immigration and child trafficking.
Nevertheless, the decision directly affects programs managed by entities like Catholic Charities, which will now have to cease their activities or reconfigure themselves without state economic support.
Direct impact on minors
Experts cited by the Miami Herald warn of the consequences of transferring minors to other centers or foster families, emphasizing the psychological impact they may suffer after new displacements.
The program included housing in specialized centers, foster care, and accompaniment services for minors who, in many cases, had gone through traumatic situations before arriving in the United States.
A precedent with parallels in Spain
The situation is not unfamiliar in the European context. In Spain, organizations like Accem or Manos Unidas have developed much of their activity in the field of immigrant reception thanks to public funding.
In both cases, a fundamental issue emerges: the risk that charitable action, when dependent on state funding or specific political frameworks, becomes conditioned in its orientation and loses critical capacity in the face of the agendas that sustain it.
Underlying political and ecclesial tensions
The contract cancellation also occurs in the context of tension between Trump and sectors of the Church in the United States, especially after the leader’s criticisms of Pope Leo XIV regarding the war.