President Joe Biden’s challenges along the southern border are spilling into his relationship with his northern partner ahead of his trip to Canada, as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attempts to fend off his own critics concerned about a surge of migrants.
Pressure is mounting for Washington and Ottawa to finalize changes to a decades-old asylum agreement that would restrict certain migrants from seeking protections in Canada, sources told CNN.
While discussions have been ongoing for years, the sharp increase of people crossing into Canada from the US – some of whom are believed to have initially crossed the US southern border – has placed added urgency to talks.
The US and Canada have often worked together to manage migration in the Western Hemisphere. Over the years, the number of migrants crossing into Canada has fluctuated, previously hitting a high mark in 2017. But unprecedented movement around the globe in recent months has also reached the US-Canada border.
Biden and Trudeau have previously touted their relationship on a slew of issues, including in accepting refugees, and a Canadian official told CNN it’s unlikely the latest migration trend along the northern border will damage that bond. But both leaders have been forced to toughen up their stance on immigration due to an influx of migrants and political pressure.
Trudeau is facing blowback domestically over hundreds of migrants crossing Roxham Road, a remote street that connects Champlain, New York, with Hemmingford, Quebec.
“For Canada, this is quite a serious situation. This is a record number of arrivals from the US into Canada,” said Susan Fratzke, a senior policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute’s International Program.
“It’s also become a political priority for Canada perhaps in a way that it hasn’t before, and that’s…
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