Miami Child Shelter to Close After Trump Cuts $11M Federal Contract
After more than 60 years of caring for unaccompanied migrant children, a longstanding Catholic Charities program in Miami is preparing to shut its doors. The closure follows the Trump administration’s decision to cancel an $11 million federal contract that has funded the effort.
The termination notice was delivered in late March to the Archdiocese of Miami. The contract supports a comprehensive child welfare program operated by Catholic Charities under the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. The program includes an 81-bed shelter, foster care placements, and family reunification services. It is expected to close within three months.
Program with decades of history
The partnership between Catholic Charities in Miami and the federal government dates back to December 1960. That year, Father Bryan Walsh welcomed the first group of unaccompanied Cuban children arriving at Miami International Airport. Their parents had sent them alone to the United States to escape Fidel Castro’s revolution.
Over the next two years, more than 14,000 children were assisted through what became known as Operation Pedro Pan, described as the largest recorded exodus of unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere.
Today, the shelter bears Walsh’s name: the Msgr. Bryan O. Walsh Center. For decades, it has provided housing, meals, case management, and support services to children who often arrive traumatized and alone. Federal officials have previously cited the Miami program as a model for similar initiatives nationwide.
Church leaders respond
Archbishop Thomas Wenski addressed the contract cancellation in a statement to the Miami Herald editorial board, saying, “The U.S. 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 recognized for their excellence and have served as a model for other agencies throughout the country.”
Reaction across South Florida’s Catholic community has been swift. CBS News Miami reported that parish members are “beyond shocked” by the decision.
Father Federico Capdepom, who retired in 2016 after 33 years serving in the Archdiocese, said, “The children that we’ve helped for so many, many years — to abruptly cancel $11 million, I believe, of help for migrants, I think it’s totally unacceptable.”
One parishioner described the move as “disgraceful.”
Concerns about children currently in care
Beyond the reaction from church leaders and parishioners, questions remain about what will happen to the children currently housed in the program. It is not yet clear where they will be placed once the shelter closes.
An associate director at the University of Miami Law School’s Children and Youth Law Clinic warned that relocation can carry serious psychological consequences for young children.
“For little kids, moving repeatedly creates bonding issues and destroys the sense of both self and community. They don’t know who they are and where they will be from day to day.”
She described such disruptions as “incredibly psychologically harmful.”
Archbishop Wenski acknowledged that the number of unaccompanied minors arriving may fluctuate but said dismantling a long-established program is unwarranted. He called it “baffling” that the government would shut down a program “that it would be hard-pressed to replicate at the level of competence” demonstrated by the Church.
Broader tensions
The contract cancellation comes amid heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Catholic leadership. President Trump has publicly criticized Pope Leo XIV, who has spoken out against U.S. immigration policies and the country’s involvement in a conflict with Iran.
In an April homily, Pope Leo said, “Stop! It is time for peace!” He has also stated on social media that “God does not bless any conflict.” The pope has questioned whether current immigration enforcement policies align with pro-life principles.
Last Sunday, President Trump responded in a Truth Social post, calling Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” and accusing him of “catering to the Radical Left.” The president also urged the pope to “get his act together.” Separately, Trump shared an AI-generated image depicting himself in a Christ-like pose, drawing criticism from Catholic leaders.
Speaking Monday aboard the papal plane, Pope Leo said, “Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed.”