New York, NY—Today, President Biden and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are expected to announce new procedural changes under the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Canada that allows each country to return asylum seekers under certain conditions, whether they present themselves at or between official border crossings, on the assumption that each country is safe for refugees. Unaccompanied children and asylum seekers with family members in the U.S. are not subject to the agreement.
Under the procedural changes, individuals will be required to present documentation to U.S. asylum officers for screenings to determine if they are subject to the agreement. Previously, they were allowed time to gather such documentation to prove an exemption to the STCA. Additionally, asylum seekers will only have four hours to consult with their lawyers before their screening with U.S. asylum officers on whether they qualify for an exemption. Both policies will go into effect immediately. Individuals who are not exempted from the STCA are barred from seeking asylum in the United States and returned to Canada.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“The Biden administration’s plan to speed up the processing of asylum seekers at the northern border further restricts access to asylum, undermines meaningful due process, and jeopardizes the lives of individuals seeking safety. This serves no purpose other than scoring political points on border management. These policies will create unnecessary obstacles for people to access humanitarian protection. Washington must stop playing politics with people’s lives at the country’s southern and northern borders. The Biden administration must invest in balanced solutions that pair humane border strategies with safe and legal pathways for immigration and a pathway to citizenship for everyone who calls this country home. Anything less is short-sighted and cruel.”