International Human Rights Law Clinic: Pursuing Federal Tort Claims for Separated Families
The International Human Rights Law Clinic (IHRLC) took on representation of Central American families whose lives were changed forever by the Trump Administration’s family separation (“zero tolerance”) policy. As a result, the U.S. government separated thousands of children from their parents and placed them in government shelters, while their parents awaited criminal charges or were held in immigration detention.
IHRLC joined a network of lawyers and law clinics in seeking justice for these families, and is representing two Central American families in Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) filings, seeking compensation for the pain and damages the U.S. government caused by separating them. The students traveled to Central America in late 2019 to meet with and interview their clients, and filed FTCA claims in spring 2020. In the event the government agencies do not respond to the claims, IHRLC will join federal litigation in pursuit of some modicum of justice for the human rights abuses caused by the administration’s policy.