U.S. and Canada reach agreement on asylum seekers 

The United States and Canada reached an agreement on Thursday that will allow them to turn away asylum-seekers who cross the borders illegally, as a record-breaking number of migrants attempt to cross the northern border, according to sources familiar with the matter. 

The deal will be announced on Friday by President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who met in Ottawa, Canada this week to discuss the relationship between the two countries and address the immigration crisis. 

Per the agreement, Canada will be allowed to turn back migrants encountered at Roxham Rhoad, an unofficial crossing point that connects New York with Quebec used by thousands of migrants seeking asylum in Canada. 

In exchange, Canada agreed to grant asylum to 15,000 migrants who are fleeing violence, persecution, and poverty in South and Central America to lessen the pressure on the U.S.-Mexico border, which has seen a record-breaking number of migrants attempting to cross. 

For months, Trudeau’s government has been requesting the U.S. to expand a 2004 immigration treaty that limits how many asylum seekers it can turn away at the border and return to the U.S. 

Under the previous treaty, called the Safe Third Country Agreement, Canada can only turn away asylum seekers if they cross through an official port of entry at the U.S.-Canada border. Those caught at unofficial entry points, such as Roxham Road, or entering by plane or ship are not covered by the agreement. About 39,000 people entered Canada through unofficial crossing points last year. 

 “There’s a lot of work being done,” Trudeau told CNN. “Hopefully we’ll be able to make an announcement to reassure Canadians and Americans that we continue to handle migration seriously.”

The announcement comes as U.S. authorities started flying migrants crossing from Canada into the U.S. to Texa for processing before expelling them to their countries of origin. The U.S. border patrol has seen a record-breaking number of undocumented migrant crossings on the northern border.