Officials say that the US and Canada have reached a deal to reject asylum seekers who cross the border at unofficial points.
US President Joe Biden and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau will announce the pact on Friday during Mr Biden’s visit to Ottawa.The deal would allow officials on both sides of the border to turn back asylum seekers heading in either direction, as both countries have seen a rise in migrant crossings. The move aims to limit an influx of migrants at Roxham Road, an unofficial crossing between New York state and Quebec.
Canada will also create a new refugee program for 15,000 migrants fleeing persecution and violence in South and Central America.
Notable Aspects of the New agreement
The new agreement is an amendment to the 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.
Negotiations on the new US-Canada border deal had been stalled for months, according to reports.
Mr Biden’s administration has proposed to crack down on asylum seekers at the US southern border with Mexico by making it harder for migrants to claim asylum once Covid border controls lift in May, which has met backlash from human rights groups.
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 new US-Canada agreement could take effect quickly as it does not require the approval of US Congress.