The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) is based on the flawed premise that the United States is a safe country for refugee claimants. Under the STCA, most people who arrive at the Canadian border from the US are turned away – often into detention. Human rights advocates have long documented serious shortcomings in the US refugee system, including inadequate protection for people at risk of harm.
These risks have only deepened under the Trump administration, whose policies have further restricted access to asylum and intensified detention and deportation practices. People living with HIV and other marginalized groups face well-established risks in US immigration detention, including barriers to life-saving medical care. Canada cannot claim to uphold refugee rights while sending people back to danger. It’s time to end the STCA.
- For more information about the STCA: https://ccrweb.ca/en/safe-third-country
- To support the call to end the STCA: https://amnesty.ca/human-rights-news/canada-must-withdraw-from-safe-third-country-agreement/