The American President Joe Biden has spoken out in favor of payments to those migrant families whose children were stolen from the Mexican border under his predecessor Donald Trump.
This was an "outrageous practice of the previous government," Biden told journalists in the White House on Saturday.
The President left open what the compensation might look like.
"If you - legal or illegal - come across the border and you lose your child and it's just gone, then you are entitled to some kind of compensation," said Biden.
"I don't know what this might look like."
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal in late October, the Justice Department and the Home Office are negotiating with affected families who have sued the American government.
Payments could run up to $ 450,000.
This figure has now been rejected by Biden.
Former American President Trump had taken a hard line in the fight against illegal immigration.
As part of a “zero tolerance” policy, almost 4,000 children were separated from their parents at the border.
While the minors were moved to segregated accommodation, their parents were arrested and in many cases were deported.
The government’s most recent official information in June stated that more than 2,000 children were still not reunited with their families.