The Biden administration Justice Department and more than 4,000 immigrant families who were separated by the Trump administration have reached a legal settlement. Under the settlement, the families can live and work in the U.S. for three years while receiving housing, mental health and legal assistance to apply for asylum. The federal government is also prohibited from separating migrant families at the border for eight years unless the parents are considered a danger to their children or the public. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
“The practice of separating families at the southwest border was shameful. This agreement will facilitate the reunification of separated families and provide them with critical services to aid in their recovery.”
The proposed agreement could be derailed by Republicans in Congress if they challenge the court’s authority to appropriate money to reunify and provide services to separated immigrant families.
The Immigrant families sued the United States government for financial compensation. Families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally in 2017 and 2018 were separated under the Trump administration’s zero tolerance immigration policies:
A Department of Homeland Security official said that more than 3,000 separated immigrant families have been reunified but hundreds more remain separated:
“The agreement also sets forth procedures for keeping track of the whereabouts of separated family members, and ensuring that that information is shared in the limited circumstances where separations will be permitted,”
The settlement also covers more than 290 children who are U.S. citizens who were separated from noncitizen parents at the border by the Trump administration and but were not previously included in the lawsuit.
U.S. immigration law is hugely complicated, full of exceptions, changes frequently and has many confusing requirements. Working with an experienced family immigration attorney could ensure you avoid errors that can cause delays. A family immigration lawyer understands how to use their knowledge and skills to help secure family visas as quickly as the circumstances permit.
Call us today at 630-345-4164.
Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
