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The Trump administration canceled a longstanding contract with Catholic Charities in Miami, citing a drop in illegal immigration as a factor amid tensions between the president and the Pope.
On Wednesday, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski wrote an op-ed for The Miami Herald lamenting the loss of an $11 million contract to help care for unaccompanied minors and migrant children programs, which has been active for more than 60 years. Without funding, Wenski warned, services would not even last the rest of the year.
“For more than 60 years, the Archdiocese of Miami’s services for unaccompanied minors have been recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country,” Wenski wrote.
“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.”
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According to The Miami Herald, the administration informed Catholic Charities last month that funding would be canceled, prior to President Donald Trump’s comments criticizing Pope Leo XIV for disagreeing with U.S. military action in Iran.
Department of Health and Human Services press secretary Emily G. Hillard informed The Miami Herald that the decision was made because the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border was now “significantly lower” than it was under the Biden administration.
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“[The Office of Refugee Resettlement] 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,” Hillard said.
In a comment to Fox News Digital, White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai pointed to an X post calling the article “fake news,” adding that the administration informed 49 charities, only two of which were Catholic, last year that it would be cutting grants towards care for migrant children.
“Our historically secure border means fewer border crossings. This is good stewardship of taxpayer dollars made possible by common-sense border policies that keep the American people safe and protect our sovereignty,” Desai wrote.
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In Wenski’s opinion piece, he pushed back against the argument that fewer unaccompanied minors was an acceptable reason to discontinue funding.
“It is true that the number of unaccompanied minors entering the country has decreased. It is also understandable that some programs may be scaled back or even eliminated. But given the history and reputation of Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Children’s Village, 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,” Wenski wrote.
The Archdiocese of Miami pointed Fox News Digital to Wenski’s op-ed when reached for comment.
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