In October 2019, after months of negotiations, the Justice Department reached a multi-million dollar settlement with lawyers representing migrant families which would have provided mental health care for thousands left traumatized after their families were forcibly separated. But, according to NBC News, the White House stepped in to kill the deal. Three sources involved in the discussions told the network that the Office of White House Counsel rejected the settlement after checking with senior adviser Stephen Miller—though one White House official firmly denied Miller’s involvement. Mark Rosenbaum, a lawyer representing the migrant families, said: “We had a deal, a good deal. Everybody was feeling good about where we were. Then they came back and said no.”
