President Joe Biden said Saturday that the families of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Trump administration should be compensated, as his Department of Justice is in settlement talks with affected families.

Raising his voice, Biden stated that people who had their children taken from them as a result of the Trump administration’s family separation policy, which was designed to deter families from crossing into the United States illegally, should be compensated regardless of the circumstances.

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“If, in fact, because of the outrageous behavior of the last administration, you coming across the border, whether it was legally or illegally, and you lost your child — You lost your child. It’s gone — you deserve some kind of compensation, no matter what the circumstance,” Biden said. “What that will be I have no idea. I have no idea.”

Shortly after taking office, Biden established a task force to try to reunite hundreds of children and parents separated by the policy, which was in effect for several months in 2018 and sparked a domestic and international outcry. 

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According to a person familiar with the talks, the government was considering payments of around $450,000 to each affected person but has since changed the figure, though not dramatically. Because the discussions are private, the person spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The talks are still ongoing, and there is no guarantee that the two parties will reach an agreement. 

According to court filings in a federal case in San Diego, approximately 5,500 children were separated from their parents under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, under which parents were separated from their children to face criminal prosecution for crossing the border illegally. Inadequate tracking systems resulted in many people being separated for an extended period of time. The payments are meant to make up for the 

psychological trauma. 

Attorneys for the families are also seeking permanent legal status in the United States for those separated under the practise, which was halted by a judge in June 2018, six days after Trump stopped it under international pressure..