In his first state visit to Canada since taking office, President Joe Biden is expected to announce an immigration deal with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that enables both countries to turn away unauthorized asylum seekers.
This deal, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times, closes a loophole in the two countries’ policies and is the latest in a series of moves underscoring the Biden administration’s harsher approach toward those seeking asylum. Previously, a 2004 agreement allowed both countries to turn away asylum seekers at official ports of entry but did not address unofficial entry points. That’s led to a surge in activity at unofficial border crossings, like Roxham Road in New York.
Under this new agreement, Canada will be able to send unauthorized asylum seekers who are apprehended within 14 days of crossing the border back to the US, with the US able to similarly send asylum seekers back to Canada in that time frame. As part of the deal, Canada is also poised to announce a program that will take in 15,000 migrants from the western hemisphere as people continue to flee countries in Central America for humanitarian reasons. That’s a small fraction of the asylum seekers expected this year; Canada saw nearly 10,000 asylum claims and border apprehensions in the first two months of 2023.
The agreement comes as unauthorized crossings of the US’ northern border have increased in both directions. According to NBC News, unauthorized border crossings from Canada into the US are at “historically high” levels, though still significantly lower than the number taking place at the southern border. Between October 1 and December 31, 2022, apprehensions in one section of the US-Canada border increased to 1,146 from 136 in 2021. In some cases, migrants from Mexico and Central American countries have gone to Canada first in an attempt to enter the US at the northern border.
Unauthorized crossings from the US into Canada have also…
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