A new border agreement between the United States and Canada has gone into force, with the goal of halting the influx of asylum seekers at irregular border crossings. Migrants found over the 3,145-mile (5,060-kilometer) border can now be deported.
A large number of illegal crossings have been detected at Roxham Road near the US-Canada border. The new agreement addresses a loophole that allows migrants to seek asylum at such illegal entrance points.
Canada
President Joe Biden made the announcement while visiting Ottawa, Canada, to discuss a variety of economic, trade, and immigration concerns with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau.
The agreement is part of an effort to reduce the influx of migrants at Roxham Road, an unauthorized border crossing between New York and Quebec.
Last year, a record 40,000 migrants entered Canada, the vast majority of whom came through Roxham Road.
According to the prime minister’s office (PMO), as part of the agreement, Canada will establish a new refugee program for 15,000 individuals escaping persecution and violence in South and Central America.
What does the Safe Third Country Act entail?
The original 2004 agreement, known as the Safe Third Country Act (STCA), requires migrants to seek asylum in the first “safe” country they reach, whether it is the United States or Canada.
It allowed any country to turn migrants away at formal entry ports, but not at unauthorized crossing locations such as Roxham Road.
According to the prime minister’s office, the new accord extends the pact throughout the whole border, including internal waterways.
Refugee advocates have slammed the new agreement as ineffectual in reducing irregular migration into Canada.
It will not deter people, said Abdulla Daoud, executive director of The Refugee Centre in Montreal, adding that he is concerned it may encourage human smuggling.
Speaking about the new refugee program, he said: “The numbers are too low. We had 40,000 cross just in the past year – 15,000 is a low number and just from one part of the world, the Western hemisphere.”
The number of migrants crossing into Canada from the United States has also increased.
Mr. Biden’s administration has also advocated a crackdown on asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border by making it more difficult for travelers to claim asylum once Covid border rules are lifted in May. Human rights organizations have reacted negatively to the proposal.
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