Latest news with #SafeThirdCountryAgreement
Newsweek
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
US and Paraguay Strike New Asylum Deal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The United States and Paraguay have signed a Safe Third Country Agreement, allowing asylum-seekers currently in the U.S. to pursue protection claims in Paraguay. Why It Matters A Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) is a bilateral arrangement between two countries that requires asylum-seekers to apply for protection in the first safe country they enter, rather than in the country they ultimately wish to reside in. These agreements aim to prevent "asylum shopping," where individuals apply for asylum in multiple countries to increase their chances of approval, and to reduce the pressure on the immigration systems of countries like the United States. The agreement is part of broader cooperation between the two countries on security, diplomacy, and economic initiatives. Paraguay has designated key terrorist organizations and is seen as a partner in regional stability. Both nations have also identified potential areas for collaboration in energy, mining, and technology. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano (L) exchange documents during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar (R) on August... U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C) and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano (L) exchange documents during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony with Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar (R) on August 14, 2025. More Kevin Wolf/AP What To Know The signing took place at the State Department, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Paraguayan Foreign Minister Ruben Ramírez. The state department said ongoing engagement with Paraguay is part of efforts to address illegal immigration. The Trump administration has clamped down on migration, effectively shutting down asylum, securing the border, and ramping up immigration arrests. Rubio said the deal will allow both nations "to share the burden of managing illegal immigration while shutting down the abuse of our nation's asylum system." While STCAs are designed to streamline asylum processes and share responsibility between nations, they have faced criticism and legal challenges. Critics argue that such agreements may not adequately protect asylum-seekers and can lead to situations where individuals are returned to countries where they face risks of persecution or inadequate asylum procedures. The STCA agreement could reduce the number of asylum claims filed in the United States by directing some applicants to Paraguay instead. For Paraguay, the agreement could increase administrative responsibilities, including processing asylum applications and ensuring adequate protection and support for migrants. The deal also strengthens U.S.-Paraguay relations by formalizing cooperation on migration and security issues, while signaling shared responsibility for regional stability and border management. Paraguay and the United States have maintained diplomatic relations since 1861. The U.S. has provided assistance to Paraguay to counter corruption and spur trade and economic development. Both countries have worked together closely on counterterrorism and counternarcotics efforts. The U.S. is one of Paraguay's largest trading partners. Bilateral goods trade between the two nations was valued at $2.4 billion in 2022. What People Are Saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a press release: "Together, we are combating transnational crime, countering malign actors, and advancing regional stability. Paraguay's designation of key terrorist organizations reflects its commitment to regional and global interests, while its enormous economic potential offers opportunities for greater collaboration in energy, mining, and technology."
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Business Standard
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Asylum not a shortcut to immigration: Canada warns amid surge in claims
Claiming asylum doesn't guarantee you can stay in Canada. "It's not a shortcut to get around immigration rules and procedures," said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Wednesday. The department urged people to understand the process before making a life-changing decision. Asylum, often referred to as protection, means asking for refugee status. 'Canada's asylum system helps people who have fled their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. This means that some people may be able to ask for refugee protection if returning to their home country puts them at risk,' IRCC said. The warning followed the arrest of 44 asylum seekers by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Stanstead, Quebec, on Sunday night. Provincial police helped intercept a truck near Haskell Road carrying the group, which included children. According to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) east border district director Miguel Bégin, they were taken to the CBSA office in Stanstead for processing. The incident comes as United States President Donald Trump continues to link illegal crossings at the Canada-US border to his administration's decision to impose higher tariffs on Canada. Key facts: Asylum claims are not automatically accepted No one can guarantee your asylum claim will be approved Making a false asylum claim can have serious consequences Who can ask for refugee protection A person may qualify for refugee protection if they can prove that returning to their home country poses a danger of torture, a risk to life, or a risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. • Refugees flee for safety, unlike immigrants who choose to settle elsewhere. • Claims are assessed under Canadian and international laws, with no guarantee of acceptance. Canada's asylum process IRCC stressed that the asylum route is not a fast-track for immigration. • All claims are screened rigorously. • If denied, claimants are removed from Canada. • Economic reasons, such as wanting a stable job or better education for children, are not valid grounds. Applicants must undergo health, criminal, security, and background checks, take a medical exam, provide biometrics, and submit evidence of persecution. They must declare any representatives assisting with the claim. Those entering from the US are subject to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), which requires asylum seekers to make their claim in the first safe country they arrive in. If they cross into Canada from the US, they will be returned. Risks and penalties IRCC warned against paying people to arrange illegal entry into Canada or trusting false promises. False or ineligible claims can lead to bans on returning to Canada and restrictions on family entry. Rising asylum numbers Bégin said most of the intercepted migrants were transferred to the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle regional processing centre for eligibility screening. Data from the CBSA show that during the first six days of July, 761 asylum claims were filed at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle — more than 400% higher than the same period last year. June saw a 128% rise, and claims have increased 82% since the start of 2025. International students are also turning to the asylum process. IRCC figures show 5,500 claims were filed by students in the first three months of 2025. In 2024, students filed 20,245 claims, nearly double the 2023 figure and six times higher than in 2019. Top student asylum claim countries in 2024 • India • Nigeria • Guinea • Ghana • Democratic Republic of Congo Darshan Maharaja, a Canada-based immigration analyst, told Business Standard, 'Many Indians could choose that option. Apart from the geographical proximity, they are likely to be encouraged by the fact that the political Left, which has sympathies for would-be deportees, is dominant in Canada. Moreover, there are individuals and groups who are willing to help them.'
Montreal Gazette
07-08-2025
- Montreal Gazette
Asylum seekers found packed into U-Haul in Quebec deported to U.S.
By At least some of the 44 asylum seekers found packed into a U-Haul the night of Aug. 2 have been deported to the United States, the Canada Border Services Agency has confirmed to The Gazette. CBSA spokesperson Karine Martel declined to specify how many of the asylum seekers landed in U.S. custody, nor would she say whether any of the asylum seekers were allowed to stay in Canada and claim asylum. RCMP officers say the night of Aug. 2 they discovered the 44 migrants — who are mostly Haitian — near Stanstead, a community at the Vermont border south of Sherbrooke. The migrants were allegedly dropped off south of the border and told to walk into Canada where smugglers driving a U-Haul moving truck picked them up. Police say they transferred the migrants into CBSA custody, at which point the CBSA says most were transported to the processing centre in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, about 100 kilometres west. Under the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S., Canadian authorities can deport asylum claimants at the border back to the U.S., unless they're unaccompanied minors or have family in Canada. 'All asylum claims linked to this incident have been processed,' Martel wrote in an email Wednesday evening. 'All those who were deemed inadmissible have been removed to the United States.' Asylum seekers returned to the U.S. under the Safe Third Country Agreement are typically sent into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. As of Aug. 5, the CBSA reports it had deported 2,766 asylum seekers to the U.S. this year for ineligibility under the agreement. Of those, 1,917 attempted to claim asylum at official ports of entry, while 849 entered Canada at unofficial crossings. 'When a person makes a claim for refugee protection at a port of entry, CBSA officers will conduct an examination — including a review — to determine if the claim is eligible for referral to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada,' Martel said. Those deemed ineligible to claim asylum are 'generally removed to the United States that same day.' While this year has seen a decrease in asylum claims across the country, claims at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle crossing have increased significantly. By Aug. 4, 11,508 people — nearly half of the 23,467 who claimed asylum across the country this year — had made their claim at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle. By that point in 2024, 5,225 people had claimed asylum at St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, while 42,150 had claimed asylum across the country. In June, the CBSA says it installed 12 trailers at its St-Bernard-de-Lacolle facility to accommodate migrants undergoing immigration reviews. 'The current migrant influx at the port of entry is well below our processing capacity and the trailers are currently unused,' CBSA spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé said in a statement. The three suspected smugglers are facing charges and will remain detained until their next court hearing at the end of the month.
Toronto Sun
05-08-2025
- Toronto Sun
Truck packed with 44 migrants near Quebec-U.S. border 'was a horror scene,' RCMP says
Three men accused of smuggling face charges, while many of the 44 migrants are facing deportation back to the United States. Published Aug 05, 2025 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 2 minute read Before 2023, migrants could claim asylum in Canada if they crossed the border at an unofficial point of entry, with many crossing at Roxham Rd. in Quebec. But an updated Safe Third Country Agreement saw migrants lose that ability, pushing them to cross in riskier places to avoid police detection, the RCMP says. Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press Forty-four people, packed into the back of a U-Haul, gasping for air, wet and shivering. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account That's how RCMP Cpl. Erique Gasse described the scene in Stanstead near the Canada-U.S. border this weekend when police say they found a truckful of migrants they allege had been smuggled into Canada minutes earlier. The migrants, largely of Haitian origin, had been dropped off south of the border the night of Aug. 2, Gasse said, and were told to walk into Canada before smugglers on this side of the border allegedly picked them up. 'The people got out of the vehicle on the American side, several kilometres from the Canadian border,' he said, adding they walked through woods and waded through water. They were picked up in a truck, Gasse said, riding in a compartment with no ventilation. 'When our police opened the door, they said people started breathing properly and really appreciated having the air,' he said. 'It was a horror scene.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A four-year-old child and a pregnant woman were among those in the vehicle, Gasse said. The three men accused of smuggling the migrants are facing charges, while many of the 44 migrants are facing deportation back to the United States. Immigration crackdowns under President Donald Trump have raised anxieties among communities across the United States. Some are now looking for refuge in Canada, including Haitians, whose temporary protected status is under threat from the Trump administration. But for many, claiming asylum in Canada is a risky endeavour. A long-standing agreement between Canada and the United States allows Canada to send asylum claimants who crossed the border back to the U.S., unless they're unaccompanied minors or have family in Canada. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Some of the migrants intercepted over the weekend have already been returned to the United States, Miguel Bégin, the Canada Border Services Agency's east border district director, told Radio-Canada Monday. 'It's highly likely that several migrants will be returned to the United States in the coming hours,' he said at the time. The CBSA denied The Gazette's request for an interview, but confirmed in an emailed statement that the agency was investigating the migrants' cases to determine whether they were eligible for asylum. Most asylum claimants went through the processing centre in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé said in the statement. In June, U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirmed to The Gazette that asylum seekers without status deported by the CBSA are landing in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. As of July, the CBSA had removed over 2,000 asylum claimants to the U.S. this year. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 44 migrants found over the weekend were the most Gasse said he'd ever seen the RCMP intercept. 'It's really not common,' he said. 'I hope it doesn't become common.' Before 2023, migrants could claim asylum in Canada if they crossed the border at an unofficial point of entry. Many crossed at Roxham Rd., where they would allow police to arrest them before claiming asylum. But an updated Safe Third Country Agreement saw migrants lose that ability, pushing them to cross in riskier places to avoid police detection, Gasse said. Many smuggling operations are centred in the area surrounding Stanstead, he added. 'Now it's a different ball game.' The three suspected smugglers, Ogulcan Mersin, Dogan Alakus and Firat Yuksek, are in detention and will next face a judge on Wednesday. Columnists World Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA
04-08-2025
- Politics
Dozens of asylum seekers intercepted crossing into Quebec from U.S. in back of truck
Forty-four asylum seekers and three alleged smugglers attempting to enter Canada from the U.S. were intercepted in Stanstead, Que., by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) overnight Sunday. With the help of provincial police, the RCMP arrested the asylum seekers, who were travelling in a truck, near Haskell Road. Some of them included children. RCMP brought the asylum seekers to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) office in Stanstead, according to Miguel Bégin, CBSA east border district director. The arrests come as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to cite illegal crossings and fentanyl trafficking at the Canada-U.S. border as one of the main reasons for his administration levying higher tariffs (new window) against the country. Canada is carrying out a $1.3 billion plan (new window) to improve border control, which includes hiring thousands of law enforcement officers and increasing aerial surveillance. Bégin said most of the migrants were transferred to the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle regional processing centre, where they are being screened for their eligibility for asylum in Canada. It is highly likely that several migrants will be returned to the United States in the coming hours, Bégin told Radio-Canada on Monday morning. Some were already returned yesterday because they did not meet the Safe Third Country Agreement exemption criteria. The treaty is premised on the notion that the United States is a safe country to receive refugees Canada turns away. It prevents people from claiming asylum in Canada if they are entering at an official land border crossing with the United States. (new window) He did not specify the migrants' country of origin. The alleged smugglers have been charged with counselling offences under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act for allegedly inducing, aiding or abetting the entry of individuals into Canada through an entry point other than a designated customs office — in violation of the Customs Act. They appeared in court by video conference Sunday and are being detained in a provincial prison. The accused are expected back in court on Aug. 6, Bégin said. WATCH | Asylum claims increase at Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Que., crossing: Frantz André, spokesperson and co-ordinator of the Comité d'action des personnes sans statut , said he is worried about the Trump administration's mass deportation of migrants (new window) and called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement. People are very scared of what's happening south of the border, André said, noting that this is probably not going to be the last time large groups of people will attempt to cross the border. While André acknowledged that Canada will most likely continue to participate in the Safe Third Country Agreement, he suggests that the federal government put in place a special program for people from countries, such as Haiti, who are seeking safety, similar to settlement support Canada provided Ukrainians (new window) . In July, the CBSA registered more than 3,089 requests for asylum at the Saint-Bernard-de Lacolle crossing compared to 613 in July 2024. With files from Steve Rukavina, Mélissa François and Radio-Canada's Étienne Meunier
