Hussen floats possible solution to Safe Third Country Agreement loophole

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussensays modernizingthe Safe Third Country Agreement so that it applies to asylum seekers crossing between official ports of entry will be part of the discussions he has with U.S. Homeland Security SecretaryKirstjenNielsenin the coming weeks.

"The agreement does not apply between ports of entry, so the discussions would revolve around making sure that we modernize the agreement in a way that makes it applicable between ports of entry,"Hussensaid in an interview with hostVassyKapelosonCBCNews Network'sPower &Politics Thursday.

Minister Hussen floats ideas to modernize Safe Third Country Agreement

6 years ago

Duration 8:18

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen tells Power & Politics host Vassy Kapelos that making the Safe Third Country Agreement apply to asylum seekers crossing into Canada between official ports of entry will be part of his discussions with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

Hussensaid that broadening the 14-year-oldagreement's scope, while incorporating the use of biometricdata basically, fingerprints and photographscould represent a solution to what some see as a gaping loophole in the agreement.

"When the agreement was made 14 years ago, it was based on the principle of making sure that officials from either side at an official port of entry were able to physically see asylum seekers ... to confirm the first country of presence," said Hussen.

"With the use of biometrics, with the more efficient use of information sharing, we are now able to be in a better position ... to establish first country of presence without using line of sight."

Hussen on the Safe Third Country Agreement

6 years ago

Duration 0:29

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen reveals in what context he discusses the Safe Third Country Agreement with U.S. officials

Right now, the border pact only applies to asylum seekers who make a claim at an official port of entry. Asylum seekers who cross irregularly into Canada at unofficial border crossings, such asRoxham Road in Quebec, can't be turned away.

If the agreement is applied to the entire Canada-U.S. border and both countries use biometric data asgrounds for denying an asylum claim, it wouldn't matter where an asylum seeker crossesthe Canada-U.S. border.

The minister's office maintains that Canada is not in formal negotiations with the U.S. on the agreement and the government has only identifiedissues that it wants to work collaboratively to resolve.

The high-level meeting between Hussenand Nielsen comes after the U.S.Department of Homeland Security confirmed toCBCat the beginning of May that it was reviewing a proposal to amend the 14-year-old border agreement.