Biden administration debates paying 'hundreds of millions' to families separated at the border

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President Biden's administration is considering whether to make payments to immigrants who were separated from their families at the border under former President Trump's administration, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

A Border Patrol agent apprehends illegal immigrants shortly after they crossed the border from Mexico into the United States in March 2018 in the Rio Grande Valley Sector near McAllen, Texas. (Photo by Loren ELLIOTT / AFP)

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The report, based on remarks from "people familiar with the matter," states that payments of "around $450,000 a person in compensation" could be issued to immigrants affected by Trump's zero-tolerance immigration policy in an effort "to resolve lawsuits filed on behalf of parents and children who say the government subjected them to lasting psychological trauma."

The Journal stated the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Health and Human Services are "considering payments that could amount to close to $1 million a family," though final payment amounts could change as some "families would likely get smaller payouts, depending on their circumstances."

In this July 8, 2019, photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detain a man during an operation in Escondido, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The sources also told the Journal that around 940 claims have been filed by immigrant families who were separated at the border.

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Border Patrol authorities say 128 immigrants believed abandoned by smugglers in a remote desert area at the Arizona border with Mexico are facing deportation. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

In 2018, the American Civil Liberties Union, citing numbers provided by the government, said "at least 2,654 immigrant children were separated from their parents or caregivers" under Trump's immigration policies.

Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw reacted to the report in a tweet, saying the Biden administration wants to "pay illegal immigrants $450,000 for their hardship while breaking our laws" and noted the payments are worth more than current life insurance programs offered to those serving in the armed forces by the government.

"For perspective, if a service member is killed in action, their next of kin gets an insurance payment of $400,000," Crenshaw wrote. "Let that sink in."

As of Sept. 1, 2005, the maximum amount of Servicemembers Group Life Insurance coverage is $400,000. Servicemembers Group Life Insurance, which is supervised by the Department of Veterans Affairs, is a life insurance program available to all active duty and reserve members of the uniformed services.

Fox News did not receive an immediate response from the White House.