Immigration and Haiti at the heart of discussions between Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visit Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, Thursday, March 23, 2023, in Ottawa, Canada. © Andrew Harnik / AP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

U.S. President Joe Biden is visiting Canada on March 23-24, 2023. The President and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau begin a series of discussions: economic agreements, military intervention in Haiti and in particular the question of the border between Canada and the United States. Roxham Road would now be closed. It is an unofficial crossing point through which 40,000 asylum seekers passed in 2022.

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With our correspondent in Quebec City, Pascal Guéricolas

Bound by an agreement since 2002, the United States and Canada have reportedly decided to extend this agreement to all 9,000 km of border between the two countries. In other words, it would no longer be possible to apply for asylum outside official crossing points.

This amounts to closing Roxham Road, located between New York State and south of Montreal, through which several hundred people currently enter Canada. Approximately 40,000 migrants arrived in Canada in 2022 via this route, bypassing official ports of entry from the United States.

► Read also: Canada: a record number of asylum seekers, but few means

The question of Haiti

In return for this agreement, the Canadian government would agree to receive an additional 15,000 migrants. These people would likely come from Central America, including Haiti, which would take some pressure off the southern border of the United States.

And on the subject of Haiti, which is plagued by extreme violence and a serious humanitarian crisis, Joe Biden and Justin Trudeau will discuss how Canada could support the Haitian police. The media mention aid of nearly 170 million euros in training and equipment.

For months, the Haitian diaspora has been opposing Canadian intervention in the country. A demonstration took place later in the day in front of the American consulate in Montreal.

►Also listen: Joe Biden in Canada: This is "not a country that matters to Americans" politically

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Read on on the same topics:

  • Canada
  • United States
  • Geopolitics
  • Immigration