President Biden on Wednesday shot down reports that his administration has been in talks for possible settlements of up to $450,000 for family separation victims who have sued the federal government over the inhumane and traumatic policy. “’$450,000 per person? Is that what you’re saying?’ Mr. Biden said when asked by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy about the payments,” The New York Times reported. “That’s not going to happen.”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which launched lawsuits to block the policy and seek compensation for traumatized victims, swiftly responded, saying the president “may not have been fully briefed” about Justice Department actions. “But if he follows through on what he said, the president is abandoning a core campaign promise to do justice for the thousands of separated families.”

“We respectfully remind President Biden that he called these actions ‘criminal’ in a debate with then-President Trump, and campaigned on remedying and rectifying the lawlessness of the Trump administration,” ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero continued in the statement Wednesday. “We call on President Biden to right the wrongs of this national tragedy.”

CNN and The Wall Street Journal had reported officials were in talks for possible settlements for asylum-seekers subjected to the policy, which Physicians for Human Rights in a report last year said constituted torture. “Financial compensation would likely vary, and not all would get the maximum agreed-upon amount,” CNN reported. While that report said it was unclear how many would be eligible for a payment, The Wall Street Journal noted roughly 940 families had filed claims.

As noted earlier this week, those reports were predictably met with outrage from right-wing politicians, who were more pissed off over the reported damages than they ever were about the traumatic damage caused by the policy.

The president “wants you to give $1 million to illegal immigrant families who broke the law,” shrieked presidential wannabe Tom Cotton, in just one example. It should come as no surprise that this offensive “illegal immigrant” language was echoed in the question posed by Doocy, who also asked if reported settlements “might incentivize more people to come over illegally.” So, now he’s creating more outrage over a completely made-up idea than about the separation policy itself. Reminder: Seeking asylum is legal immigration. And why keep calling on this man?

“The case for compensating these migrant families is clear,” Boston Globe columnist Marcela García wrote in a recent piece. “It wasn’t just the act of forced separation, but also what some parents were reportedly told (or not) after the fact: ‘You’ll never see your child again.’” When families were finally reunited under court order, some children didn’t appear to recognize their parents, like in the case of 3-year-old Sammy. He was separated from his family for three months. “My son is traumatized,” his mother cried.

But since the financial settlement talks appear to be tied to continued litigation, it may not even be up to the president in the end—it could be up to the courts. “Ultimately, the horrific trauma inflicted on parents and children who were separated is lasting and has long-term consequences; no amount of money can erase it,” García continued in her column. “But it’s crucial to create an economic-justice precedent so that future presidents never again consider enacting this harmful and cruel policy.”