Dozens of asylum-seekers have walked miles in freezing temperatures to illegally cross from the United States into Canada, arriving in small towns along the border in recent weeks.

Amid fears that U.S. President Donald Trump s platform means the U.S. is no longer a safe place for refugees, theyre trying to get around the Safe Third Country Agreement , a reciprocal deal the U.S. and Canada signed in 2002 establishing that refugees must file asylum claims in whichever of the two nations they arrive in first.

Already, two men making the journey into Canada have lost their fingers to frostbite. Afraid that dangerous irregular crossings will rise, refugee rights organizations and immigration lawyers are leading the calls to revisit the agreement.

But its not just because of Trump. Advocates say heightened anxiety over the new U.S. administration and a small surge in irregular crossings are bringing attention to an agreement thats always put refugees at risk.

Our view is that the United States has never been a safe country for all refugees, said Janet Dench, executive director of the Canadian Council for Refugees.