MIAMI — An abrupt funding cut is raising concern across South Florida, according to an open letter from the Archbishop of Miami.
He says he’s baffled that a program with deep roots in the region -- one that has sheltered tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors since the 1960s, including 14,000 Cuban children during Operation Pedro Pan -- is now being forced to shut down.
The Trump administration confirmed to Local 10 News it is cutting $11 million in funding for the Catholic Charities program that cares for and shelters migrant children who arrive in the U.S. alone.
The Archdiocese of Miami currently houses dozens of those children in South Florida.
“This program that he just cut was the same program that helped the Cubans when we arrived in this country in 1960,” said Sylvia Muñoz.
For Muñoz, a devout Catholic and volunteer with immigrant families, the issue is personal.
“I do because I came like that. I came in 1961,” she said.
“You were an unaccompanied minor. I was an unaccompanied minor. I flew from La Havana to Miami by myself. I had just turned 14 years old.”
“Two months after my 14th birthday when I came by myself -- I still remember it as a trauma.”
The Department of Health and Human Services defended the funding cut, telling Local 10 News the number of unaccompanied children is significantly lower -- about 1,900 compared to a peak of 22,000 during the Biden administration.
Officials added the move is part of a broader effort to close and consolidate unused facilities, as the Trump administration continues efforts to stop illegal entry and the smuggling and trafficking of unaccompanied children.
“The administration is really taking it way too far,” said Tessa Petit of the Florida Immigrant Coalition.
Petit said she’s concerned about what happens next, even with fewer children in the system.
“Where are they going to be? Where are they going to go? The foster care system is not set for them,” she said.
The funding cut comes amid an ongoing feud between the president and the pope, as well as backlash over an AI-generated image that offended many Christians who believed it portrayed the president as Jesus -- something Trump denies.
Archbishop Thomas Wenski has planned a press conference for Thursday, where more details are expected on what will happen to the dozens of children currently in the charity’s care.
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