President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began talks in Ottawa on Friday after reaching an agreement to prevent asylum seekers from crossing the common Canada-US land border at so-called “unofficial” border crossings. .
Neighboring leaders will discuss migration, the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Haiti, the war in Ukraine, trade and the fight against climate change, officials said.
“We have a lot to discuss, and I think we will do a lot today,” Biden said at the start of the meeting, emphasizing the shared values of the two countries.
“We have no better friend and ally than the United States,” Trudeau said.
The two leaders met after Trudeau introduced Biden to political party leaders, one of whom, Green Party leader Elizabeth May, presented the president with a chocolate bar made by a Syrian refugee family with the words ” PEACE” written on it, Trudeau explained.
A new version of the migration agreement, to be published in the U.S. Federal Register, will allow Canada to return immigrants detained at unofficial border crossings, including Wroxham Road, a dirt road between Quebec and New York State which has become one of the most popular destinations for illegal migrants trying to get from the United States to Canada.
Border crossings between the two countries are governed by the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which allows US and Canadian authorities to return asylum seekers back and forth at official ports of entry, but does not cover not unofficial border crossings.
According to the notice, the new agreement extends the ETPS to the full length of the world’s longest undefended border, for people seeking asylum within 14 days of crossing the border. The new rule will go into effect at midnight, according to Canadian and American officials.
The issue has become a growing political headache for Trudeau, who was elected to the Canadian parliament in the province of Quebec. Skeptics point to the difficulty and cost of policing such a long border, and how it can harm migrants.
“It’s impossible. How do you control the border of such a length? People will cross the border unnoticed. People will cross it in a more dangerous way, says refugee lawyer Maureen Silkoff. “Closing the border is not profitable.”
Under the agreement, Canada will welcome an additional 15,000 migrants from the Western Hemisphere over the next year on humanitarian grounds, a White House official said Thursday.
“This is the first time since World War II that so many people have traveled to the Western Hemisphere, it’s truly staggering and historic,” White House national security spokesman John Smith said on Friday. Kirby, in an interview with MSNBC.
On Friday, Canada will release 100 million Canadian dollars ($72.77 million) in aid to Haiti, a government source familiar with the matter told Reuters. According to the statement, the two countries also pledged to expand cooperation in the field of nuclear energy and technology.
Biden will address Parliament on Friday after Trudeau enters, after which the two leaders will hold a joint press conference.
