Mayorkas further stressed that the DHS is relentless in its pursuit of preventing a recurrence of family separations and continues its ongoing efforts to reunite families.
Feds Agree To Aid Separated Families : Origin of the Lawsuit
This monumental transformation traces back to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which filed the lawsuit in California federal court in February 2018. The lawsuit targeted former President Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance policy, challenging its legality. This policy led to an increase in prosecutions of unauthorized border crossers, eventually leading to the separation of thousands of children from their parents.
The ACLU’s legal challenge prompted a preliminary court order, compelling the Trump administration to halt the separation practice and reunite immigrant parents with their children within 30 days.
A Long Road to Resolution
Efforts to reach a settlement stalled in 2021 amid concerns from Republican lawmakers about the proposed compensation, reaching as high as $450,000 per affected individual. However, a new nonmonetary settlement is now on the horizon, pending approval by a California federal court. This agreement aims to bring solace to up to 5,000 children and their parents, as per the ACLU.
Feds Agree To Aid Separated Families : End of a Dark Chapter
The settlement marks the end of a distressing chapter in American history, as Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, emphasized. He stated, “To America’s enduring shame, we tore children from the arms of their families to enact a xenophobic agenda. This settlement closes the darkest chapter of the Trump administration, but as welcomed as it is, the damage inflicted on these families will forever be tragic and irreversible.”
Essential Beginning
Lee Gelernt, deputy director of ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project and lead attorney for the migrant families, acknowledged the enormity of the lawsuit’s scope. He noted that while the settlement cannot wholly repair the harm inflicted on these innocent children, it represents an essential starting point. The agreement also includes a crucial provision that prohibits the government from reenacting the zero-tolerance policy in the future.
Ongoing Reunification Efforts
The U.S. has been tirelessly working to reunite all families separated under the former policy while simultaneously negotiating relief for the families represented by the ACLU. U.S. Judge Dana Sabraw of the Southern District of California, overseeing the case, expanded the class of migrant families in April to include U.S. citizen children separated from their noncitizen parents.
