US Settles Lawsuit Over Trump-Era Migrant Policy

Facts

• The Biden administration has reached a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), providing benefits to immigrant families that were separated under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy aimed at stopping illegal border crossings.¹
• The settlement, reached Monday, allows the families to live and work in the US for three years while receiving housing, mental health, and legal aid to apply for asylum. It also prohibits the federal government from separating migrant families crossing the border illegally for eight years.²
• The ACLU first filed its case in the Southern District of California federal court in San Diego in 2018, after the Trump administration implemented a program to criminally charge people who illegally entered the US. The policy put their children in the custody of the US Department of Health and Human Services.³
• The Trump administration softened its stance in 2018, days before US District Judge Dana Sabraw ended the zero-tolerance program. The settlement is still pending judge approval, and a hearing will take place before it can be accepted.⁴
• The settlement is expected to see 4K migrants receive benefits. The families initially asked the government to pay $450K to each family that was separated, prompting the Biden administration to walk away from the negotiating table. Individual families are still seeking monetary compensation in civil court.⁵
• The settlement could still face challenges from Congressional Republicans as well as conservative legal groups, such as America First Legal.²

Sources: ¹ABC News, ²NBC, ³The Texas Tribune, ⁴New York Post and ⁵Yahoo News.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by American Civil Liberties Union. The Biden administration’s settlement with the migrant families separated under Trump is a step in the right direction as the US looks to close the page of a shameful chapter in its history. The Trump administration callously separated children from their parents without warning, doing irreparable harm to thousands of people. The Biden administration’s agreement will help them overcome this damage.
• Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The Biden administration shows yet again that it will always side with illegal immigrants over the interests of the US. Not only does this settlement loosen restrictions on border control, but it also spends thousands of dollars as a reward for entering America illegally. While there can be a debate on Trump’s zero-tolerance policy, granting amnesty to illegal immigrants and paying for their housing is an outrage to the American taxpayer.