Biden Refutes Reports About Payments of $450,000 to Separated Illegal Immigrant Families

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden on Wednesday has denied recent reports claiming that his administration was considering to compensate the illegal immigrants who were separated with their families after being apprehended with up to $450,000.

“That’s not going to happen,” Biden said when asked to confirm the recent reports.

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services are considering the proposal to resolve lawsuits filed on behalf of parents and children who allegedly suffered psychological trauma as a result of family separation.

According to the report, the payouts could come close to $1 million per impacted family, with a total payout of more than $1 billion to roughly 5,500 children who were separated from their families after crossing the US border with Mexico.

The settlement discussions have been the subject of backlash with government lawyers viewing the payouts as excessive for people who broke the law by illegally crossing the US border. Some lawyers involved in the discussions have said the payouts could be greater than those received by some of the families of September 11, 2001, terror attacks victims.