Biden meets Trudeau – US signs asylum deal with Canada
US President Joe Biden has arrived in Ottawa, the capital of Canada. On Friday, he will meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and address the National Assembly.
Trade, migration, the defense budget and the possibility of creating an international force to stabilize the situation in Haiti are on the agenda. The war in Ukraine, climate change and China will also be discussed.
Two important deals appear to have been finalized even before Biden left Washington earlier on Thursday. Canada will accelerate the pace of military upgrades to the US-Canada North American Airspace Defense Command (North American Aerospace Defense Command). In addition, the two countries have agreed on new rules for migrant asylum seekers, according to officials from both countries.
The asylum agreement closes a loophole in current legislation and allows the United States and Canada to reject asylum seekers at the border between the two countries.
The loophole has led to thousands of migrants entering Canada each year from the United States via the Roxham Road between New York State and the province of Quebec. This is a small, unguarded local country road that ends in a dead end on either side of the border. According to the agreement, measures must be taken to make it impossible to use this option.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined Thursday to comment on the deal, which is expected to be officially announced on Friday.
(© NTB)
