BRAVO: Diocese of El Paso Forced To End Child Trafficking Operation

The Diocese of El Paso has shut down its long-running legal aid ministry to unaccompanied child migrants, as the Trump administration withholds almost $1 million in funding for work already performed. Estrella del Paso announced July 31 that it had closed its Unaccompanied Children’s Program and laid off 13 employees, after its federal contract was not extended. That non-renewal comes as the organization is still owed for work it has completed for the federal government, with no payments received since December 2025. In an Aug. 1 video statement posted to the organization’s Instagram account, executive director Melissa Lopez — who in July had warned Estrella’s reserves had been “completely depleted” by the federal government’s non-payment — described the news as a “heartbreaking update.” “Without payment from the federal government, we simply can’t operate this program,” she said. Continue reading at America Magazine Post Views: 19