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The White House may have just lost a powerful ally on the issue of immigration.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) accused President Biden of “defending the family separation practice” after the Department of Justice walked away from talks to financially compensate migrant families separated at the southern border.
Biden previously said that families separated under the Trump administration “deserve some kind of compensation,” although he has “no idea” what the dollar amount would be.
“By abandoning negotiations to help children and families that were separated at the border heal, the Biden administration will have to defend the family separation practice in court,” the ACLU said.
BIDEN SAYS HE HAS ‘NO IDEA’ WHAT PAYMENTS TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WILL BE, BUT BACKS COMPENSATION
The ACLU emphasized the accusation, continuing, “We’ll repeat that: [President Biden] has chosen to DEFEND the family separation practice in court.”
The DOJ pulled out of the talks, which previous reports had indicated could result in the DOJ giving illegal immigrant families separated under the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy up to $450,000 each in damages.
“While the parties have been unable to reach a global settlement agreement at this time, we remain committed to engaging with the plaintiffs and to bringing justice to the victims of this abhorrent policy,” DOJ spokesperson Dena Iverson told Fox News in a statement.
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The ACLU has in recent years been a vanguard force in pushing progressive and social justice-minded policy in national politics.
Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.