Canadian Lawyers Argue US Unsafe For Asylum Seekers

The Washington Post reports:

Advocates told Canada’s top court on Thursday that a nearly 20-year-old deal under which Canada and the United States share responsibility for migrants in need of protection should be struck down because the United States is not a safe destination for asylum seekers.

At issue in the hearing, which was being closely watched in Ottawa and Washington, was the constitutionality of the Safe Third Country Agreement, the 2004 pact between the two countries. Under the deal, asylum seekers who enter Canada at official land border crossings are sent back to the United States — and vice versa.

The premise is that both nations meet their obligations under international refugee law and are safe for those seeking refuge, so claimants must request protection in the country where they first arrive.

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