The Green Party of Canada is calling on the federal government to suspend the Canada–U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) in response to mounting evidence that the United States can no longer be reliably considered “safe” for many people seeking refuge, particularly asylum seekers, racialized communities, LGBTQ2S+ people, and others facing heightened risk.



“Canada cannot keep turning people away at the border on the assumption the U.S. will protect their rights,” said Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada. “The President of the United States is actively eroding access to asylum and human rights protections. Canada has a legal duty and a moral responsibility to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement.”



The STCA forces most refugee claimants to seek protection in the first country they arrive in, meaning many people who come to the Canada–U.S. land border are turned back to the United States. Canada’s continued participation depends on a basic premise: that asylum seekers will have meaningful access to protection and that their fundamental rights will be respected.



It is no longer credible to claim the United States is a “safe” country for refugees and asylum seekers. Under President Trump, access to asylum is being dismantled and enforcement is escalating. Human rights concerns are mounting, including serious allegations of warrantless arrests and racial profiling, and a deadly ICE shooting in Minneapolis. These developments underscore the growing risk for people seeking protection, and for communities already targeted by discrimination and violence.



“These are not abstract concerns,” said Pooja Malhotra, Green Party Shadow Cabinet Critic for Immigration and Refugees. “There is a real risk of harm to people who are already vulnerable. Canada must stop sending them back to a country that has adopted a policy of exposing asylum seekers to detention, discrimination, and violence, allowing deportations not just to their country of origin, but also to countries to which they have no connection.”



The Green Party notes that civil society and professional organizations in Canada have also called for suspending or withdrawing from the STCA due to escalating human-rights concerns.



The Green Party is calling on the federal government to suspend the Safe Third Country Agreement and to prepare for the practical reality of more refugee claims at the Canada–U.S. border. That means ensuring refugee claimants can access a fair process at ports of entry, and investing in the capacity Canada will need to manage this reality responsibly, including IRCC staffing, legal supports, and settlement and integration resources. Greens are also urging the government to maintain an ongoing assessment of U.S. conditions that affect the safety of asylum seekers and other communities at heightened risk.



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