Can-US Refugee Harmonization Agreement Causes Rush On Border

More info: Full final text of the Safe Third Country Agreement

Excerpts from links provided in opening paragraph:

From Kairos Canada.org:

Despite wide reaching resistance in Canada and south of our border, the Canada-U.S. “safe third country” agreement has been scheduled for implementation on December 29, 2004. After this date, Canada will deny entry to refugee claimants who arrive via the U.S., and vice versa. Both governments argue that there is no need to offer a refugee hearing to asylum seekers who could have made their claim in a “safe” third country.

The problem with this argument is that the U.S. is not safe for many refugees. The U.S. detains asylum seekers more frequently than Canada, is more openly discriminatory in its treatment of Muslims and Arabs, and is less sympathetic to gender-based asylum claims. The December implementation date falls at a particularly bad time for refugees, with U.S. policy makers focused on security concerns and enforcement measures. An intelligence bill negotiated in early December would double the number of border agents and substantially increase the size of immigration detention centres over the next five years. It is expected that asylum reform will be prominent on the U.S. legislative agenda in 2005, and that legislative changes will reflect an analysis linking refugees and terrorism. In this context, refugees face an increasingly uncertain future in the U.S.

Despite legislators’ focus on security issues, refugee advocates are concerned that the Safe Third Country Agreement will actually make the border less secure, pushing refugees to look for irregular ways of entering Canada, where they expect better treatment and a more sympathetic hearing. There is a strong potential for increased smuggling activity, exposing refugees to physical danger and economic exploitation.

Full article: Safe Third Country Agreement

From Human Rights First.org
Excerpt:

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 Human Rights First. “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.”

Full article: US-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement Will Hurt Asylum Seekers