Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

President Joe Biden responds to a question astir the U.S. borderline arsenic helium speaks successful the State Dinning Room of the White House, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021, successful Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden said Saturday that the families of children separated from their parents astatine the U.S.-Mexico borderline during the Trump medication should beryllium compensated, arsenic his Department of Justice is successful colony talks with affected families.

Raising his voice, Biden said that careless of the circumstances, radical who had their children taken from them nether the Trump administration's household separation policy, meant to deter families from crossing into the U.S. illegally, should beryllium remunerated.

“If, successful fact, due to the fact that of the outrageous behaviour of the past administration, you coming crossed the border, whether it was legally oregon illegally, and you mislaid your kid — You mislaid your child. It's gone — you merit immoderate benignant of compensation, nary substance what the circumstance," Biden said. “What that volition beryllium I person nary idea. I person nary idea.”

Shortly aft taking bureau Biden created a task unit to effort to reunify hundreds of children and parents affected by the policy, which was successful spot for respective months during 2018 and sparked a home and planetary outcry.

Ad

The authorities was considering payments of astir $450,000 to each idiosyncratic affected but has since changed the figure, though not dramatically, a idiosyncratic acquainted with the talks told The Associated Press. The idiosyncratic spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the discussions are private.

The discussions continue, and determination is nary warrant the 2 sides volition onslaught agreement.

About 5,500 children were divided from their parents nether President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, nether which parents were separated from their children to look transgression prosecution for crossing the borderline illegally, according to tribunal filings successful a national lawsuit successful San Diego. Inadequate tracking systems caused galore to beryllium isolated for an extended time. The payments are intended to compensate for the intelligence trauma.

Attorneys for the families are besides seeking imperishable ineligible presumption successful the United States for those separated nether the practice, which a justice halted successful June 2018, six days aft Trump stopped it nether planetary pressure.

Ad

—-

Associated Press writer Elliot Spagat successful San Diego contributed.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.