The United States and Canada agreed on a new asylum rule, in view of the increasing number of migrants at their common border. Canada has agreed to take in more immigrants, US President Joe Biden said in a speech to the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa on Friday. “At the same time, the United States and Canada will work together to stop illegal border crossings.”
In view of the sharp increase in illegal border crossings, the Canadian government has long pressed for a deal in Washington to be able to turn away more migrants. According to the media, nearly 40,000 people came to Canada last year, and the number has increased dramatically. It’s mostly people from Central and South America traveling from the US to Canada. In particular, the closed Roxham Road border crossing into northern New York has recently become a symbol of illegal border crossings.
An existing agreement must now be updated, according to a joint statement from the two countries. Canada therefore agreed to take in an additional 15,000 migrants within a year. Additional measures must bring “a deterrent to irregular migration across our common border”. This means that Canada can refuse immigrants at the Roxham Road intersection.
During his trip to Canada, Biden was full of praise for his NATO partner. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also praised the deep connection in the face of numerous challenges, such as the climate crisis, the consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and still high inflation. These are “serious times” when mutual friendship is more important than ever. “Mr. President, you are a true friend of Canada,” Trudeau told Biden.
Relations between the two neighbors cooled significantly under then-Republican President Donald Trump and became openly hostile in some cases. (apa/dpa)