Lawyers representing the families say they’re deeply disappointed and contend everyone who was a victim of the zero-tolerance approach deserves recompense, including financial settlements. They also say the government could easily wind up spending even more money fighting these cases than if it had simply reached a settlement.
The Women’s Refugee Commission condemned the Justice Department’s move to pull out of the negotiations.
“This move is a shameful, profound betrayal of the government’s responsibility to redress the harms of this heinous policy,” Katharina Obser, director of the group’s Migrant Rights and Justice program, said in a statement.
“While the U.S. can never undo what happened, we expected the Biden administration to engage in good faith with efforts for redress and repair,” she said, adding that “the cruelty of intentionally tearing families apart inflicted unspeakable and permanent trauma on children and their parents coming to the U.S. border seeking safety.”
Kathryn Hampton, deputy director of the Physicians for Human Rights Asylum Program, also noted the long-term effects of the separation on children. The organization has documented the psychological harms and trauma many have suffered, including PTSD, depression and anxiety.
“Instead of bowing to right-wing ideologues, the Biden administration should pursue justice and accountability for the deeply traumatized children and parents who endured these atrocious acts perpetrated by the United States government,” Hampton said in a statement.
The Biden administration says it will continue to identify and reunify families that were separated under the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, the ACLU is in negotiations with the administration over other issues, including the possibility of legal status for separated families. Those talks will continue, Gelernt said — but the termination of financial negotiations won’t make them any easier.
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