WASHINGTON — The United States and Canada have reached an agreement that would allow both countries to redirect asylum seekers away from their borders at a time of increased migration across the hemisphere, a US official familiar with the deal said. said on Thursday.
The agreement, expected to be announced by President Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday after the two leaders met in Ottawa, will allow Canada to return immigrants at Roxham Road, a Popular unofficial crossing point from New York for migrants seeking asylum in Canada.
In return, Canada has agreed to provide a new legal asylum program to 15,000 migrants fleeing violence, persecution and economic devastation in South and Central America, the official said, in an effort to reduce pressure from people crossing the border illegally into the United States from Mexico.
Mr. Biden arrived in Ottawa on Thursday night for a 24-hour visit aimed at highlighting the unity of purpose between the United States and Canada after four years of cold and even openly hostile exchanges between Mr. Trudeau and the former president. Donald J. Trump.
But the visit – long delayed from what is normally the first foreign trip by a US president after taking office – will also expose a number of difficult issues between the two countries, including the There has been a long debate about how to manage the movement of people across the border between the two countries.
The agreement eliminates one of the relatively few disputes between Mr. Trudeau and Mr. Biden. The two leaders are also expected to discuss differences in how to stabilize Haiti and the global race to develop key minerals needed to make batteries and other technology.
But the accord is likely to infuriate refugee advocates, who have been frustrated by Mr Biden’s decision to crack down on asylum seekers on the southern border with Mexico.
Mr. Trudeau’s government has been pushing for months to expand a 2004 migration treaty with the United States to limit the number of asylum seekers Canada can turn away from its borders and send back to the United States.
The treaty only allows Canada to return a migrant — for example, someone fleeing violence in El Salvador — if that person passes through an official port of entry between the two countries. Crossings at informal entry points like Roxham Road have increased dramatically over the past few years, putting pressure on Mr. Trudeau to restrict them.
(Asylum seekers arriving from other countries by plane or ship are not covered by the agreement regardless of where they come from. Their numbers are relatively small and in many cases they are detained. until trial.)
Until recently, officials in the United States resisted the change in the treaty. But members of the government on both sides of the border said talks were underway in an attempt to resolve the issue ahead of the day-long summit.
For Mr. Biden, the deal could help reduce record numbers of migrants pouring into the US southern border via Mexico, driven by political instability in the region and economic changes that fuel poverty. .
The idea is that the deal would divert up to 15,000 migrants a year from that perilous journey, leaving the Biden administration with fewer migrants to turn away.
At the U.S. northern border, the deal would allow Canada to return to the United States migrants who have decided to try their luck with Canada’s asylum system rather than gain protection in the United States. Ky.
Trudeau’s government has welcomed refugees from Syria and elsewhere and has pledged to increase immigration, making Canada known for being more open to migrants than many other Western nations. But over the past year, as migration has increased at the Canadian border, there are signs that the country’s famous hospitality to migrants may be waning.
almost 40,000 migrants who came to Canada last year — more than double the number in 2019 — gave Canada a taste of the challenges other Western countries face in dealing with refugees and making opponents Trudeau’s prime minister urged him to renegotiate a key asylum agreement with the United States. The number of arrivals each month has skyrocketed, with almost 5,000 won those who come in January.
On Friday, Mr. Biden will meet Trudeau and address the Canadian Parliament, a tradition followed by former Presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Top US officials in Canada and Washington emphasized the personal relationship between the current leaders. One official, speaking to reporters this week, said the prime minister and president have a “Justin and Joe” relationship, which includes each of them having the other “speed dial” for regular consultation.
That stems in part from Biden’s long history with the Trudeau family. As a young senator in the early 1970s, Mr. Biden met Mr. Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, who was then the country’s prime minister. In a speech six years ago, Mr. Biden praised Pierre Trudeau as a “decent and respectable man” who raised a successful son.
How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times employees can vote, they are not allowed to support or campaign for political candidates or causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies to support a movement or raise money or raise money for any political candidate or electoral cause.
Officials said Biden will use the speech to highlight years of cooperation between the two countries on the war in Ukraine, climate change, confronting China and the global economy. They said he would also talk about the common good of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Chips Act, offers incentives to North American companies to make silicon chips, car batteries, and steel.
“In the first year of this administration, we focused on rebuilding that bilateral relationship,” said John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council. “This visit is meant to reassess what we have done, where we are now, and what we need to prioritize for the future.”
The spirit of cooperation stands in stark contrast to the tension in the Trump administration. In 2018, after attending the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Quebec, Mr Trump angrily withdrew his signature on the leaders’ statement and criticized Mr. Trudeau as “very dishonest and weak.” “. The relationship between the two men never improved.
Officials from both sides expect much more harmonious meetings during the current visit, which will end with a gala dinner at the Canadian Air and Space Museum.
But the agenda includes a number of issues on which the two countries disagree.
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau are also expected to discuss efforts to help stabilize Haiti after the devastating natural disaster as well as violence and political instability. The United States has said it believes an international security force is needed and has urged Canada – which has deep ties to the island – to lead it, something Mr. Trudeau has so far opposed.
US officials declined to say whether Mr. Biden would pressure Mr. Trudeau to accept such a leadership role, a decision the Canadian leader said should be based on the country’s long history. him in previous security efforts and the lessons the country has learned.
“They will continue to discuss ways we can continue to assist, from a humanitarian perspective, to the people of Haiti and the Haitian national security forces,” Kirby told reporters at the White House. .
“For, you know, a multinational force or anything like that, I don’t want to get ahead of the conversation here,” he added. “If there is room for that, then it will all have to be dealt with directly with the Haitian government and with the United Nations.”
Mr. Biden and Mr. Trudeau are also expected to discuss longstanding disputes between their industries, such as the dispute over the dairy and timber trade. U.S. technology companies have also urged the Biden administration to push back against the proposed digital services tax in Canada, saying most of the revenue would come from American companies.
However, experts say the meeting will likely take a broader look at the trade relationship, focusing on how countries can adjust their policies to deal with larger challenges such as climate change, economic and security threats from China as well as the war in Ukraine.
Louise Blais, a former Canadian diplomat, said in an online discussion Wednesday hosted by the Association of the Americas/Council of the Americas and the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Canadian Institute: “The competition is not in the North. America, which is no.
One issue that will arise in this context is the key minerals that power electric vehicle batteries, such as lithium, nickel, graphite and cobalt, Ms. Blais said. China globally dominates the handling of these critical materials, and US officials have begun negotiating organization with allies on new sourcing arrangements.
Ms. Blais said Canada has large reserves of important minerals that can be developed with US investment and support. But the Canadian government will want to make it clear to the United States that it is not interested in “just exporting those minerals raw.” Instead, it will argue that developing an integrated, continental supply chain for electric vehicles will underpin Canada’s manufacturing sector.
“This is what I would like to see from this meeting, a reaffirmation from the president and prime minister that we will jointly develop our industrial policy in a comprehensive, integrated way,” said Ms. Blais. speak.
Some US provisions to encourage the production of high-tech equipment have worried allies in the European Union, South Korea, Britain and elsewhere, who say they punish foreign companies. out unfairly.
Thanks to an aggressive lobbying push last year, Canadian companies are eligible for some of these benefits, such as tax incentives for electric vehicles that source important minerals from Canada or Mexico. But Canadian officials remain concerned about the possibility of large US subsidies and other requirements for the use of US-made materials to tilt the playing field and attract more manufacturing to the US. southern.
Instead, some analysts say more focus should be on building an integrated North American economy that can better compete with new threats from China and Russia.
“If we don’t work together in this new world we face, I think both our stocks and our economic prosperity are at risk,” said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Society. Council of the Americas and the Association of Americas, said. said in a panel discussion on Wednesday. “I think both leaders certainly understand that, the government understands that, but sometimes interest group politics interfere.”
Ana Swanson contribution report.
