Mexico visa-free travel a ‘bilateral irritant’ for Canada-U.S. relations

The Liberal government’s determination to assistance nan visa request for Mexican nationals became a “bilateral irritant” pinch nan Biden administration, arsenic nan number of migrants connected some sides of nan separator spiked, recently released documents show.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller reinstated visas for Mexican citizens connected Feb. 29, 2024 to slow what he called “exponential growth” successful asylum claims straining Canada’s exile strategy and provinces’ resources, while besides drafting nan ire of U.S. officials.

Internal authorities briefing notes shed caller ray connected Washington’s “concerns regarding abuse” of nan visa exemption, and nan unit Ottawa was nether to reimpose nan requirement.

“Mexican nationals entering Canada … subsequently attempting to participate nan U.S. illegally remains a bilateral irritant,” sounds nan archive obtained by Global News done entree to accusation laws.

“The thought that nan United States sees thing is an ‘irritant’ is notable because what nan Americans spot arsenic an ‘irritant’ is seen by Canadians arsenic existential … that is apt nan past straw,” Carleton University governmental subject professor Aaron Ettinger said.

The briefing notes dated Jan. 23 – a period earlier Miller reinstated nan visa request – see talking points prepared for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc up of a gathering pinch U.S. Ambassador David Cohen.

“Canada shares U.S. concerns regarding maltreatment of visa-free recreation by Mexican passport holders,” nan archive says.

“I (LeBlanc) understand nan impacts that Canadian visa decisions person connected nan Canada-U.S. border, and nan accrued grade of forbidden southbound migration generated by nan Mexico visa exemption.”

Ettinger, who specializes successful U.S. overseas policy, says Canada apt weighed those concerns heavily.

Ottawa tin “withstand criticism” from nan provinces, but “it becomes thing larger erstwhile it comes to nan United States.… Canada tends to return things a batch much seriously,” nan Carleton professor said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed nan visa request successful 2016, put successful spot by his predecessor Stephen Harper. It was considered a constituent of contention pinch Mexico, Canada’s 3rd largest trading partner.

What followed was a surge successful asylum claims successful Canada and an summation successful migrant crossings astatine nan U.S-Canada border.

Between 2016 and 2023, asylum claims from Mexican nationals to Canada soared, reaching a grounds precocious of astir 24,000 past year, pinch astir arriving successful Quebec. According to nan national migration department, astir 60 per cent of those claims were rejected, withdrawn aliases abandoned.

After nan visa exemption, nan number of group trying to transverse nan U.S.-Canadian separator besides reached unprecedented levels.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 189,402 “encounters” astatine nan bluish separator successful 2023, which is simply a astir 600 per cent summation from 2021.

“These are migrants aliases others who are trying to transverse nan separator from Canada into nan United States,” Fen Hampson, president of nan World Refugee and Migration Council, said successful an question and reply pinch Global News.

“In galore cases, they’re turned back. Sometimes they’re taken into custody wherever they await a determination connected whether they tin enactment successful nan United States.”

Last month, Joe Biden blocked migrants from claiming asylum erstwhile U.S. officials deem nan confederate separator is overwhelmed, successful what is considered 1 of nan astir restrictive migration policies by a Democratic president successful caller memory.

The numbers astatine nan U.S.-Canada separator ray successful comparison to nan much than 2 cardinal “encounters” astatine nan U.S.-Mexico separator past year.

But they were capable to origin interest successful Washington complete Canada’s visa policy.

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While location was “gentle criticism” publically from nan U.S., nan documents propose nan “Americans were pressing” Ottawa privately to reverse course, successful portion because of “public safety” issues, says Ettinger.

How organized crime is playing a role

On Feb. 7, 2024 — 3 weeks earlier nan Mexican visa request was reinstated — Richard Burchill, nan RCMP’s acting adjunct commissioner of national policing criminal operations, appeared earlier nan opinionated committee connected citizenship and migration and said “organized criminals of each stripes, Mexican cartel included” are progressive successful nan smuggling of “vulnerable people” into Canada.

“In Canada, from our investigations crossed nan country, location is Mexican organized crime progressive successful this,” Burchill told MPs.

The World Refugee and Migration Council president says Mexican gangs, including nan Sinaloa Cartel and Los Zetas, are exploiting “weak rule enforcement.”

“They’re uncovering Canada to beryllium a very hospitable spot to do business; drugs, money laundering, and progressively quality smuggling and trafficking,” Hampson said.

“We person a problem pinch our porous ports…. We spot that erstwhile cars are stolen and shipped retired of nan country.”

Hampson besides pointed to pack violence, home abuse, poorness and persecution fuelling migration crossed Latin America and beyond.

“It’s not conscionable Mexicans aliases Mexican nationals, which relationship for conscionable a small complete half of nan interceptions by U.S. authorities. The 2nd biggest class are South Asians, peculiarly individuals from India.”

Before committee, nan migration curate acknowledged that “criminals return advantage of nan vulnerability and measurement of group who travel to Canada.”

“However, sloppy of a person’s logic for coming to Canada, a passport aliases visa request won’t extremity an individual wished to do this benignant of thing,” Miller said connected Feb. 7.

Will nan visa reimposition make a difference?

In a connection to Global News, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokesperson Isabelle Dubois said nan “number of claims made by Mexican nationals astatine Canadian airports has importantly decreased” since nan visa request was reinstated.

When asked really overmuch U.S. concerns factored into Ottawa’s actions Dubois said, “Canada’s visa argumentation decisions are sovereign … based connected a comprehensive, rigorous appraisal of risks and benefits.”

But Hampson doubts nan move will stem nan travel of migrants, calling nan visa reimposition a “kill switch.”

“This is an easy point for governments to do, but it doesn’t really reside nan halfway of nan problem, which is nan criminal networks that are progressive successful moving group crossed borders,” he said. “It’s each portion of a bigger package, and it’s not going to beryllium solved by putting a visa connected Mexicans.”