OAN Roy Francis
UPDATED 2:10 PM – Saturday, March 25, 2023
The United States and Canada have agreed on a deal which gave both countries the authority to turn away asylum seekers at unofficial crossing points.
At a joint press conference on Friday, President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the new agreement, which went into effect on Saturday morning.
The new agreement will allow each country to send back asylum-seekers who cross the border at unofficial crossing points.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the deal was made in order to “protect the integrity of the asylum process.”
“Today’s coordinated actions with the Government of Canada will protect the integrity of the asylum process, discourage dangerous crossings between ports of entry, and encourage lawful pathways for migration,” he said.
The two countries have had a Safe Third Country Agreement in place which allows them to turn back migrants at official crossings. However, it does not include asylum-seekers who had crossed at unofficial crossing points.
The new deal will now allow the two nations to turn back asylum-seekers who are crossing the border at unofficial crossings as well.
As part of the agreement, Canada will also allow 15,000 migrants from South and Central America who are fleeing violence, persecution, and economic hardships to be able to seek asylum in the country.
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By: OAN
