Biden Admin. Calls Off Settlement Talks for Separated Migrant Families

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration terminated settlement talks for financial compensation for migrant families separated under previous administrations so-called zero-tolerance policy on the US border with Mexico, a court document revealed.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in response to the end of negotiations said the Biden administration is walking away from helping migrants who were traumatized, and President Joe Biden is shamefully playing politics with migrants' lives.

"[This] action has been held in abeyance since June 1, 2021, to facilitate settlement discussions between Plaintiffs and the United States," the court document said on Thursday. "Those settlement discussions have reached an impasse, and Plaintiffs accordingly respectfully request that this Court lift the abeyance."

According to the ACLU, some 5,500 migrant children were separated from their families under the now defunct zero-tolerance policy of the Obama and Trump administrations.

It is not clear why Biden's Justice Department ceased the negotiations, but the administration was heavily criticized .

In early November, Biden denied reports claiming that his administration was considering to compensate migrant families impacted by the Trump-era rule up to $450,000.