US and Canada reach a border agreement

The US and Canada have announced an immigration plan that will change the way they take in asylum seekers, allowing both countries to reject those who arrive at unofficial border crossings. President Joe Biden unveiled the new agreement alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday, claiming it would bring more "fairness" to the immigration process. The 2004 pact between Washington and Ottawa required asylum seekers to file their claims at any legal port of entry in Canada, but tens of thousands of migrants have claimed asylum at informal crossings in Canada. Under the new agreement, Ottawa will be permitted to reject asylum claims at such irregular ports, effectively extending the 2004 deal to cover the entire 5,500-mile US-Canada border. Biden also praised Trudeau for agreeing to accept 15,000 new migrants when the deal takes effect on Saturday, but accidentally paid tribute to China instead. The US has also faced a major wave of illegal immigration in recent years, with border officials reporting nearly 2.4 million encounters with undocumented migrants just in 2022, the vast majority coming from Central and South America.