The Biden administration is planning to expedite the processing of “asylum seekers” at the U.S.-Canada border in response to an uptick in illegal crossings there, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document obtained by CBS News.
Reportedly, this will entail two changes to how the United States processes illegal immigrants under a “Safe Third Country” agreement with Canada. This accord was signed in 2002 and expanded last year (via CBS News):
The first change will require migrants to have their documents ready when U.S. asylum officers conduct screenings to determine if they are subject to the agreement with Canada. Previously, migrants could postpone those screenings to gather documents that could prove they merit an exemption to the deal. Certain groups, such as unaccompanied children and those with family members in the U.S., are not subject to the agreement.
The second change will reduce the time migrants have to consult with lawyers before their screenings with U.S. asylum officers to a minimum of four hours, down from a 24-hour minimum. That update matches an identical change made at the U.S.-Mexico border in June, in connection with President Biden's move to severely restrict asylum there.
Migrants who are subject to the Safe Third Country agreement are barred from U.S. asylum and can be returned to Canada. Those who qualify for an exemption are allowed to request asylum in the U.S. Conversely, those who cross into Canada from the U.S. and are subject to the agreement can be returned by Canadian authorities to American soil.
Reportedly, these changes will take effect Wednesday.
In June, Townhall covered how illegal border crossings from Canada to the United States were escalating. One area where this issue was growing was Quebec and New York. In fact. the Roxham Road border crossing was closed for good in 2023 due to the overwhelming number of asylum seekers who utilized it to get to the United States.
In late June, U.S. Border Patrol stopped a human smuggling operation on the St. Clair River, which separates Michigan and Ontario.
Last month, Townhall covered how human smuggling became a primary focus for federal authorities in Washington state as illegal immigrant crossings continue to uptick.
Robert Hammer, Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge, told Axios that with so much attention on the southern border, the “historic” amount of irregular activity at the northern border gets overlooked.