Before the Canadian Parliament, Joe Biden also welcomed Canada’s commitment to regularly welcoming 15,000 migrants from all over the American continent.

In the background of this announcement, the question of the “Roxham Road”: an improvised route by which some 40,000 migrants from the United States arrived in Quebec last year, bypassing official entry points.

The large number of migrant arrivals last year sparked heated political debate in Canada.

However, the closure of this road worries migrant aid organizations.

“The impact on refugees in dire need is devastating. The result will be to push people to attempt even more dangerous crossings in remote areas or push them towards smugglers,” Julia Sande of Amnesty International told Agence France Presse (AFP).

Illegal immigration is also a hot topic in the United States, with US authorities making more than 128,000 arrests in January for attempts to enter their territory illegally from Mexico, with the Republican opposition not missing the opportunity to accuse Joe Biden of lacking firmness in dealing with the issue.

Joe Biden was received today as a “great friend” in Canada during his first official visit to the country, which resulted in this agreement on irregular immigration, a sensitive subject between the two neighbors and allies.

“It is a great pleasure to have a great friend here,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the start of a bilateral meeting on the grounds of Parliament in Ottawa.

The American leader was applauded several times during his address to Canadian parliamentarians, in particular when he praised the commitment of the two countries to support Ukraine.

The United States and Canada, Biden said, are “two peoples” who share “one heart.” And “in case of disagreement”, they try to solve their problems “with friendship and good will”.

MYMM // RBF

By Impala News / Lusa

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