US-Canada “Safe Third Country”
Agreement Will Hurt Asylum Seekers
Agreement is “inefficient and inhumane” and
will put unnecessary burden on US system
NEW YORK - The U.S. will likely sign Thursday a “Safe
Third Country” Agreement with Canada that will force refugees
who want to seek asylum in Canada to file their applications in the
United States if they stop in the U.S. on their way to Canada. It
will also force U.S.-bound refugees who stop first in Canada to apply
there. The Agreement will force thousands of asylum seekers to apply
for asylum in the U.S., significantly increasing the burden on the
U.S. asylum system.
“This Agreement is unnecessary, inefficient, and inhumane,”
said Eleanor Acer, Director of the Asylum Program at the Lawyers
Committee for Human Rights. “It will place a significant and
unnecessary burden on the United States’ asylum system and
will actually make the border less secure by disrupting the orderly
border process that is currently in place.”
U.S. government officials have not been able to demonstrate any
need for this lopsided agreement, which seems designed to ease the
burden on the Canadian immigration system. In return, the U.S. wants
Canadian cooperation on a broad range of measures included in the
so-called “Smart Border” plan. It appears that the U.S.
is prepared to sacrifice the interests of refugees as a “bargaining
chip” in broader U.S.-Canada border discussions. “While
the agreement may be in the interests of the Canadian government,”
said Acer, “it is not in the interest of refugees, it is not
in the interest of the U.S. asylum system, and it is not in the
interests of the United States.”
The Agreement, which has only limited exceptions, will apply to
all asylum applications made at land borders.
The Agreement will have several effects:
- It will significantly increase the burden
on the U.S. asylum system.
- It will cost money. The Canadian Council
for Refugees (CCR) reported that approximately 35% of asylum claims
made in Canada last year (14,807 claims) were made by claimants
who arrived in Canada from the United States.
- It threatens to make the U.S.-Canada border
less secure by disrupting the current orderly process that is
now in place at the border.
- It may leave refugees vulnerable to smugglers
who may transport them across the border illegally.
- It will separate asylum seekers from friends
and contacts. Many refugees fleeing persecution seek to live in
a country where they have family, friends or other significant
contacts who can house and support them while they work to rebuild
their lives. The Agreement will force them to seek asylum in the
country they happen to travel through on their way to an intended
destination. The exception for family members is too narrow.
The Lawyers Committee has urged the U.S. government to abandon this
Agreement before signing on December 5th. Joining the Lawyers Committee
in opposition to the current version of the Agreement are: Amnesty
International, the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and
Children, the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program,
Vermont Refugee Assistance, and many others.
To read the Lawyers Committee’s July 24th comments on the
draft agreement to the INS and State Department, go to:
http://www.lchr.org/refugee/comment_safe_thirdfinal.pdf
To read the “Safe Third Country” draft agreement go
to:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/policy/safe-third.html.
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