The United States and Canada have reportedly reached a deal to reject asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings. According to officials, the accord is expected to allow officials on both sides of the border to turn back such asylum seekers heading in either direction.
US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are set to announce the agreement on Friday during Mr Biden’s visit to Ottawa. The move is part of efforts to limit an influx of migrants at Roxham Road, an unofficial crossing between New York state and the province of Quebec.
The deal is an amendment to the two sides’ 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement, which requires migrants to make an asylum claim in the first “safe” country they reach, whether it is the US or Canada. The new arrangement would close a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement that prevented Canada from turning away those crossing the border at unofficial crossing points.
The loophole had led migrants to enter Canada from places like Roxham Road. Negotiations on the new US-Canada border deal had been stalled for months, according to reports. US officials reportedly did not want to rework the agreement, as the country was bogged down with its own migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border.
As part of the deal, Canada will create a new refugee programme for 15,000 migrants fleeing persecution and violence in South and Central America. This move has been welcomed by human rights groups who see it as a positive step towards supporting refugees.
The new US-Canada agreement could take effect quickly as it does not require the approval of US Congress. Mr Trudeau has argued that the only way to halt irregular border crossings at Roxham Road is by renegotiating the Safe Third Country Agreement. The move is expected to be announced before Mr Biden returns to the US on today.
BBC
