After years of stalled talks, Canada and U.S. reach border deal on irregular migrants: sources

The Trudeau government has reached a long-discusseddeal with the United States on irregular migration which will allow Ottawa to close the Roxham Road irregular crossing at the Canada-U.S. border, sources told CBC News.

The deal would see Canada announce openings for 15,000 migrants from the Western Hemisphere to apply to enter the country legally, asenior source with knowledge of the agreement told CBC News. Radio-Canada was first to report the deal.The Los Angeles Times was the first to report the numberof migrants.

The deal comes in the form ofa change to how the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States is applied. It would close a loophole in the agreement, which came into force in 2004 and currently prevents Canadian law enforcement from turning back asylum seekers who enterCanadafrom the United Statesat border locationsthat are notofficial ports of entry.

The changewould apply across the entire Canada-United States border and would allow both countries to turn back asylum seekers at unofficial border crossings.

The source said the agreement is expected to be announced publicly Friday.

Progress on a new border agreement between the two countries accelerated in the run-up to U.S. President Joe Biden's first official visit to Canada, the source added.Biden arrives in Ottawa Thursday and departs late on Friday.

The officialsaid theywould not have predicted the deala few weeks ago.

"I would've said, 'No way,'" they said.

Several officials involved in the discussions had said talkshad beenlagging for months.The United States previously had not deemed a border deal with Canadaapriorityas it managed a migration surge on its southern border.

The deal could take effect quickly after its announcement because changes to the agreement do not have to go through the United States Congress, and could instead come through an executive order.

The status of the agreement becamealingeringsource of tension between Ottawa and Washingtonbecause of an influx of asylum seekers entering Canada through Roxham Road, which ison the Quebec-New York border about 50 km south of Montreal.

The Safe Third Country Agreement prevents people from claiming asylum in Canada if they enter Canada from the U.S. at an official land border crossing. The idea is that asylum seekers should make their claims in the first safe country they can reach.

Asylum seekers have been able to have theirappeals heard in Canada ifthey've entered at an unofficial crossing, such as Roxham.

"I think it's good news. I know you'd like to know more. You will be knowing more quite soon from my colleagues and the prime minister," Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reportersThursday.

• Watch and listen to U.S. President Joe Biden's first official visit to Canada on CBC News: Special live coverage starts Friday at 1 p.m. ET on CBC TV, CBC News Network, CBC Gem, the CBC News App and YouTube, and at 1:30 p.m. ET on CBC Radio and the CBC Listen app.

Opposition parties and the Quebec governmenthavepressured the Trudeau governmentonRoxham Road. Both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievreand Quebec PremierFranois Legault havecalled for the irregular border crossing's closure following a spike in asylum seekersthis year. Legault said the number of asylum seekers has put a strain on his province's social services.

Nearly two-thirds of asylum claims in Canada in 2022 were made in Quebec, according to government data.Almost 40,000 asylum seekers crossed the border from Roxham Road that year.Themigrants were primarily from Haiti, Turkey, Colombia, Chile, Pakistan and Venezuela.

Trudeausaid last month that the only way to shut down Roxham is to renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement. ButUnited States Ambassador David Cohensaid that would do little to addressirregular migration.

Sources told Radio-Canada thatForeign AffairsMinister Mlanie JolyandImmigration, Refugees and CitizenshipMinister Sean Fraserhave worked behind the scenes with their American counterparts in recent weeks to reach a deal.

New York Cityhas paid for bus tickets to send asylum seekers throughto Plattsburgh, New York, which is close to Roxham Road.

The NDPhas called for the suspension of the Safe Third Country Agreement.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he'd still like to see that happen. He said he doesn't know the details of the Roxham deal.

"If the solution solves the problem, it's something we're open to," he said. "Our preferred optionis still to suspend the agreement, but we're open to other solutions."

The term "irregular" is used because it's against the law to enter Canada anywhere other than an official port of entry, but it is not illegal to make an asylum claim.

Migrants claiming asylum after entering Canada illegally are generally not prosecuted while their claims are assessed.

MarieSaintil, an Ontario-based lawyer who workswithRoxhamRoad migrants, said news of the deal doesn't surprise her.

"It will make a difference. It will immediately reduce the flow," she said.

"I worry it could result in more human traffickers."

Saintilsaid migrants are often fleeing political persecution andgang and domestic violence.

"They will do what they need to do to survive. For them and their family," Saintil said.

"I find it very troubling that this has been politicized, instead of trying to focus on helping these people in whatever way we can."