The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Trump administration on behalf of migrant children and parents who were separated under the government's immigration policies.

The lawsuit is seeking damages on behalf of thousands of migrant families and covers separations that have occurred since 2017. The lawsuit also seeks the creation of a fund to pay for mental health services for affected migrant families.

Some 3,000 migrant children were separated from their parents in 2018 under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy, a move that prompted visceral public outrage. The separation policy was then blocked by a federal judge. Later government reports indicated that the number of families separated by the administration may include thousands more than the original tally.

"Today, even after many – but not all – families have been reunified by a federal court order, the effects of the separations continue," the lawsuit , which has been filed in federal district court in Arizona, says. "Although separated families can never be made whole, justice requires redress for their sufferings."

The lawsuit cites a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General that found that migrant children separated from their families "exhibited more fear, feelings of abandonment, and post-traumatic stress than did children who were not separated." Some separated children "believed their parents had abandoned them" and felt "feelings of fear and grief," the report found.

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit are five migrant families who were separated by the Trump administration. The lawsuit names a number of defendants, including current and former officials of immigration enforcement agencies and current and former White House officials.