The Wall Street Journal reported first that the government was looking into payments of approximately $450,000 per person. According to a source familiar with the talks, that number was being considered but not changed significantly by The Associated Press. Because the talks are confidential, the person spoke under condition of anonymity.
The talks are continuing, but there is no guarantee that the two sides will reach an agreement.
According to court filings from a federal case in San Diego, approximately 5,500 children were taken from their parents by President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy. Parents were separated from their children in order to face criminal prosecutions for illegally crossing the border. Many were separated for a long time due to inadequat tracking systems. These payments are meant to compensate for psychological trauma.
The attorneys for the families are also seeking permanent legal status for those who were separated from the practice. This was six days after Trump halted it due to international backlash.
The Justice Department did no immediate response to a Thursday night request for comment.
Several law firms are involved in the settlement negotiations. Parents are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union in the San Diego case.
Five mothers and their children were separated for over two months by the National Immigration Litigation Alliance. Four children were taken to New York holding facilities. The government’s request to dismiss the case was denied by an Arizona federal judge.
Trina Realmuto is the executive director of National Immigration Litigation Alliance. She stated that no amount of money could compensate for the pain and suffering these parents and their children suffered under this unconscionable, unprecedented policy.
In January, a Justice Department inspector general reported that a single-minded focus on increasing immigration prosecutors was at the expense of careful consideration of the effects of family unit prosecutions or child separations.
