Overview
- The administration canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, and ORR told the archdiocese in late March.
- ORR, a branch of HHS that shelters and places unaccompanied minors, says it is closing and consolidating unused facilities as the daily population stands near 1,900, down from a 22,000 peak under Biden.
- Archbishop Thomas Wenski warns the program could shut within three months without federal support and has asked the agency to review the decision.
- Child-welfare experts say relocating children to new shelters or foster homes can retraumatize them, and local leaders say it remains unclear where current cases would go.
- Two Florida Republicans, Reps. María Elvira Salazar and Carlos Gimenez, urged ORR to reconsider, arguing the program’s trained staff and long-built infrastructure would be difficult to replace during future surges.