Canada is ending its pandemic-era policy of turning back asylum-seekers trying to cross into the country between ports of entry, according to a revised policy document released on Sunday. Canada turned at least 544 would-be refugees back to the Unites States between March 2020 and mid-October. The government did not immediately respond to questions regarding why it was ending the policy now and what if any quarantine rules would apply to asylum-seekers who are not vaccinated.
Canada is ending its pandemic-era policy of turning back asylum-seekers trying to cross into the country between ports of entry, according to a revised policy document released on Sunday.
TORONTO Canada is ending its pandemic-era policy of turning back asylum-seekers trying to cross into the country between ports of entry, according to a…
By Anna Mehler Paperny TORONTO (Reuters) - The Canadian government is trying to quash a legal challenge to its policy of turning back asylum-seekers entering the country between border crossings, saying the group bringing it lacks standing, even as it has granted a growing number of exemptions to the policy. The parties were in court on Thursday arguing over who should be able to bring a case in the public interest. Since March 2020, Canada has turned back at least 544 asylum-seekers trying to cross from the United States between ports of entry, government figures show. The government says its policy is justified by the COVID-19 pandemic and the exemptions it has granted prove recourse is available. Refugee lawyers said that these exemptions are inadequate, as at least one asylum-seeker was deported from the United States after receiving an exemption, and belie the policy s justification. Refugee travel is not discretionary, said Maureen Silcoff, a refugee lawyer and past president of