Photo:  ©AmnestyInternational

The Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada and the United States puts refugees at risk. Because of this agreement, Canada turns away most refugees who show up at the border seeking safety and sends them back to the United States. In the United States, people face arbitrary detention and are at risk of being deported to their country of origin, even if they would face persecution or torture. 

The horrific news coming out of the United States every day – including rising authoritarian practices, the dismantling of the U.S. asylum system, and the use of mass detention and deportations – have only heightened our concerns about the rights and lives of those who Canada turns back to the United States.

Canada has a legal obligation to ensure that people are not deported to torture or other serious harms. It cannot count on the United States to carry out this obligation. 

Amnesty International, the Canadian Council for Refugees, and the Canadian Council of Churches continue to challenge the Safe Third Country Agreement in the courts for violating refugees’ rights. 

We know refugees will continue to be harmed while awaiting yet another court decision, which is why we are calling on the government to withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement NOW. 

TAKE ACTION NOW: Call on the Minister of IRCC to stop slamming our door on refugees and rescind the Safe Third Country Agreement.