As Canada tightens asylum rules, refugees reuniting with family say they are being turned over to ICE and jailed for months after failed border claims

Archived version: https://archive.is/20260523134130/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/23/canadians-refugees-rejected-face-ice-detention

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cross-posted from: https://beehaw.org/post/26487358

As Canada tightens asylum rules, refugees reuniting with family say they were turned over to ICE and jailed for months after failed border claims

Refugees like Appolon attempt to claim asylum in Canada through an exception to the country’s Safe Third Country Agreement with the US. Under the agreement, refugees must seek asylum in the first “safe country” they arrive in.

But legal experts argue that the US should not be considered a safe third country. They argue that the country’s long-term detention of those seeking refuge and threats to deport asylum seekers to countries where they could be harmed or killed indicate that the US is not safe.

Meanwhile, Canada is tightening its own asylum system. New legislation enacted in March has created further ineligibility rules for refugee claimants, prompting critics to accuse Mark Carney’s government of introducing Trump-style immigration policies.

Refugees like Appolon remain jailed in the US “because Canada conducted proceedings at the border in a manner that was rigid and, frankly, unfair”, said Simpson.