Report: U.S. government considering payments to migrants affected by Trump's zero-tolerance policy

Facing several lawsuits filed on behalf of migrant parents and children who were separated at the southern border during the Trump administration, the Biden administration is in discussions to offer families close to $450,000 per person in compensation, several people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal. Psychologists say former President Donald Trump's family-separation policy left many of the minors traumatized

Under the policy, minors were separated from their parents after crossing into the United States to seek asylum. Citing government data, the American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing some of the families suing the U.S., said 5,500 kids were separated. There was no way of tracking the parents, and some children have yet to be reunited with their families.

The lawsuits that have been filed allege that children were kept in inadequate housing, with some living in freezing cold rooms and others getting heat exhaustion, and many are dealing with mental health issues, like anxiety and fear of strangers, stemming from the separation from their parents.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up

The ACLU's Lee Gelernt, the lead negotiator in one of the lawsuits, told the Journal that President Biden has "agreed that the family separation policy is a historic moral stain on our nation that must be fully remedied. That remedy must include not only meaningful monetary compensation, but a pathway to remain in the country."