Canada Immigration Minister and US Counterpart discusses U.S. Border opening issues

In the wake of the COVID 19 outbreak, Canada Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino discussed a variety of issues related to border and immigration with his counterpart in Washington, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. However, the results of the meeting have not been made public by either of the countries.

As per a statement from Homeland Security, the talk entailed discussion of traveler screening and information sharing, asylee and refugee protection, and managing migration in the Western Hemisphere, including through the expansion of lawful pathways. The statement also mentioned that Secretary Mayorkas and Minister Mendicino agreed to enhance efforts to work in tandem and handle regional migration challenges, which includes addressing root causes and engaging in collaborative migration management. The statement however did not talk about the current imbalance of travel between the two countries. 

The United States is permitting Canadians even if they are fully vaccinated to drive south across the border until at least Aug. 21 despite Canada re-opening to fully vaccinated Americans. Mendicino has reportedly said that the United State will make a decision when it’s suitable for them and as they have respected Canada’s decision Canadian government will respect theirs. As per a report by the CBC news, the United States pre-published a notice in its U.S. Federal Register in which it explained the risk of allowing non-essential travel into the country is still too high.

The United States had earlier announced it would not open to Canadians until Aug. 21infuriating U.S. Democrat Congressman Brian Higgins. He had said that people and businesses along the border have been suffering for few months and they had hoped that the border will reopen and bring things back on track. He believed that the decision was unnecessary and was harming the economic recovery. Twitter has also expressed outrage over the decision of not reopening borders and asked the USD to reconsider the decision. Many agreed with Higgins and said that friends and family will be in the bind.

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