Prominent GOP members have condemned a reported Biden proposal to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to families who were ailing from the “zero tolerance” migration directive of former President Donald Trump.
The homeland security, justice, and health and human services departments belonged to the agencies negotiating settlements of $450,000 per head affected by the policy that resulted in families being apart at the southern border of the US. In the spring of 2018, Border Patrol agents started arresting and taking into custody parents on allegations of illegally entering the US. Photos of children being forcefully separated from their families to be transferred into shelters ignited prevalent fury.
A plan by the Biden administration is reported to pay $450,000 to illegal immigrants who had been separated under the Trump administration. (Photo: AP)
Almost $1 Million Per Family
The reported plan can surpass the payments provided to a number of families of Gold Star families and 9/11 victims. The aforementioned departments considering payments is in response to a lawsuit by civil rights groups. The payments can amount to nearly $1 million per family and $1 billion overall but several families would receive smaller payouts. The report ignited immediate denouncement from GOP members and former Trump officials at the likelihood of utilizing taxpayer money in order for illegal immigrants to become millionaires.
DeSantis Reacts
Governor Ron DeSantis criticized reports of the plan and touted the proposed payouts as a “slap in the face” to US citizens. According to DeSantis at Lake County on Friday, “I’ve seen a lot that’s happened in the last nine or ten months that I never thought I’d see. But this takes the cake,” reported Florida Politics. If implemented, he added the plan would be disrespectful to hardworking Americans.
According to an anonymous individual familiar with the discussions, the figure was under consideration but altered, though not remarkably. The talks continue and there is no guarantee that the two sides will both be on the same page.
Background
Under Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, parents were separated from their kids to undergo criminal prosecution for illegally crossing the border, as indicated in court filings in a federal case in San Diego. Insufficient tracking systems resulted in numerous people being apart for an extended time. The payments are purported to compensate for the psychological trauma, reported KTLA 5.
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