Biden pours cold water on reported $450,000 payments to migrant families separated under Trump

President Biden on Wednesday said the U.S. won't be paying $450,000 to migrant children and parents separated from each other under former President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department and other federal agencies were in settlement talks with the separated families, and each plaintiff could get up to $450,000 in restitution.
The reported payment talks have been a hot topic among Republican lawmakers and on conservative media networks, and a Fox News correspondent asked Biden on Wednesday if he thought such payments would draw more migrants to the border. "If you guys keep sending that garbage out, yeah," Biden said. "But it's not true." When a reporter followed up, Biden shook his head. "$450,000 per person? Is that what you're saying?" he asked. "That's not going to happen."
The White House referred questions about Biden's comments to the Justice Department, which said it "will not comment on ongoing litigation." But the ACLU, one of the organizations leading the settlement talks on behalf of the migrants, said Wednesday night that the DOJ had assured it the talks were continuing. "If we can't achieve true restitution," ACLU executive director Anthony Romero told the Journal, "we'll take our case on behalf of our clients to court."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
About 5,500 children were separated from their families at the border under Trump's policy, the ACLU says, citing federal data. So far, about 940 families have filed claims, and officials aren't sure how many more will follow suit.
"By pursuing a settlement, the government is seeking to avoid trials that could be even costlier," the Journal reports, citing lawyers who have experience with large-scale cases involving alleged emotional distress. "The people familiar with the matter have said the talks are ongoing and the final numbers could shift. Most of the families that crossed the border from Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. included one parent and one child, which could mean payments close to $1 million per family. Many families would likely get smaller payouts, depending on their circumstances."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
China and Taiwan's war of words ahead of anniversary parade
Under The Radar Neighbours both claim to have led the fighting during World War Two
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardon
Feature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in Chicago
Feature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates