Canadian Union of Public Employees Condemns Roxham Road Border Closure
In a March 29 news release, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) condemned the closure of the Roxham Road irregular border crossing, the main entry point into Canada used by asylum seekers traveling by foot from the U.S.
Closing
Roxham Road, it says, "will result in increased hardship, and
possibly
death, for thousands of vulnerable refugees." Under the expanded
Safe
Third Country Agreement [STCA], it explains, "refugee claimants
must
request refuge in the first safe country they arrive in" and
notes that
in that
accord, Canada designates the United States as a safe country.
However,
it emphasizes, "Advocates point out that the U.S. does not in
fact
guarantee the safety of refugees." It goes on to explain that
"The
Canadian Council for Refugees highlights that refugees in the
U.S.
system face arbitrary
detention, expedited removal before they have had a chance to
appear
before a judge, and criminal prosecution for crossing into the
U.S."
CUPE adds that "Advocates have long argued that the solution to unofficial border crossings is to suspend the STCA and let people cross in a safe and secure way at official ports of entry. Two separate courts have ruled the STCA is unconstitutional, in 2007 and 2020. The Supreme Court of Canada heard a case about the agreement in late 2022 and has not released its decision."
The union goes on to cite the Migrant Rights Network as saying that "refugees and other migrants were already dying crossing via Roxham Road because the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) and other immigration laws made it impossible to travel safely."
"Canada's undemocratic decision to close Roxham Road will push refugee claimants, many of them desperate to find safety, to cross in more unsafe ways," CUPE adds.
"People have lost limbs and died crossing in dangerous conditions at various locations along the U.S.-Canada border, because of the STCA. The Canadian government's latest decision will make such tragedies more common. It is also an unworkable and expensive plan that will fuel increased border surveillance and embolden the human smuggling industry.
"Canada is on the wrong side of history" the trade union writes. "Under international law, people have the right to seek refugee protection and to a fair process that determines whether they should receive it."
CUPE is calling on its 715,000 members to "take action by supporting the Migrant Rights Network's campaign to support refugee claimants seeking safety in Canada."
(Photo: Solidarité sans frontière)
This article was published in
Volume 53
Number 3 - March 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/M5300310.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca