Separated at border: negotiations to pay out minimum $900,000 per family. Repubs weighing in

[Demovictory9]

repubs making this a big issue this morning. people flipping out in comments following some articles I read. Wondering what DU thinks.

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WASHINGTON — Thousands of migrant parents and children separated from each other at the U.S. border by Trump administration policies may soon be eligible for hundreds of thousands of dollars per person in compensation, according to three sources familiar with ongoing negotiations in a lawsuit brought on behalf of separated families.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Thursday that the Biden administration is in talks to offer separated migrant parents and children around $450,000 per person. That would mean that if a parent and a child were separated at the border, together they would be eligible for a combined payment of $900,000.

The talks are part of negotiations between the Justice Department and lawyers representing the separated families in a number of tort cases that have claimed the families experienced harm when they were forcibly separated.


The sum total of the payments remains unknown as negotiations continue, the sources said. But if enough parents and children are located, one source said, the U.S. government could be paying out hundreds of millions of dollars to compensate these families for what they went through.

Under former President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy in 2018, and a pilot program in 2017, more than 5,600 children were separated from their parents simply because their parents crossed the border illegally with them. Until the policy, crossing the border illegally, a misdemeanor under U.S. law, did not result in parents who crossed with children being federally prosecuted and therefore separated from their children.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/biden-admin-may-pay-millions-migrant-families-separated-border-under-n1282670

[PoliticAverse]

1. I think if this goes through it's going to be appearing in a lot of Republican ads...

in the form of:
"Democrats want to pay $ 450,000 to each illegal alien"

[Demovictory9]

3. yeah.... it exploded overnight among the repubs, worded pretty much as you have it

[jimfields33]

4. I'm not even sure why a number needs to be discussed at this point.

I’m sure negotiations are continuing and that number won’t be near the end result. There’s no way President Biden is giving close to a half a million dollars per person at the end of the day.

[Faux pas]

2. ...

Like I said in another thread, SEND THE BILL TO THE HUMP.

[pinkstarburst]

5. $900,000 per family

These families were wronged, horribly.

At the same time... we are at a point where many people ages 20-35 are crushed under student debt. Many people in that age group have no hope of ever being able to afford a house as a teacher or a paramedic because housing costs are so out of control. $900,000 would buy a house in nearly any city in this country.

I'm sorry. That is not going to play well with a LOT of people who will likely feel like little/not enough is being done to help them. I think it will feed right into the republican's hands.

Minority voters are struggling and are being pushed out of their neighborhoods because of gentrification. Americans all across the country are feeling the pinch in their wallets because of rising grocery, gas and heating costs.

$900,000 per family... is not going to play well.

People with disabilities are expected to scrape by on $770 per month. Seniors are often expected to scrape by on $1500 per month. They are being told they cannot have dental coverage, cannot have hearing aid coverage.

How do you think those voters will react to hearing non-citizens who attempted to cross the border illegally will be receiving $900,000 while they are expected to make do on $1500 per month and just puree your food, Harold, no need for dental?

This will hurt us politically.

[XanaDUer2]

10. I agree. Read the room

Nt

[Irish_Dem]

14. Bad optics, I agree.

[tritsofme]

6. It's almost like this policy was dreamed up by Republican ad writers.

Make it go away.

[newdayneeded]

7. timing

The timing of this is horrible. We need to stop handing the repubs a club to hit us with.

[MichMan]

8. How much of it will the lawyers take?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Works for me. More would be better. They went through hell.

[Demovictory9]

12. Maybe reasonable just not right before nov elections

[WhiskeyGrinder]

16. There is never a bad time to do the right thing.

[beaglelover]

11. It's completely ridiculous to pay that much money to each family that was wronged after

entering the country illegally. SMDH!

[Calculating]

13. Exactly

This just plays right into the republicans hands in this time when many Americans are struggling.

[beaglelover]

15. Yep. This is the kind of stupid shit that makes us lose elections! If you're pissing off

Democrats over this policy, what do you think you're doing to Independent voters who we need to vote D so we can win!