Unwanted Immigration

However, these debates are timely and need to be held in light of the increasing number of migratory movements and decision-makers’ zeal to place the topic of state sovereignty at the forefront of the immigration discourse. [...] In the majority of cases, it is the states rather than the UNHCR that implement procedures for vetting, admitting and resettling refugees onto their territories.10 During these procedures, states and their respective agencies may “dispute the identity of those claiming international protection, doubt the validity of their claims and fear that they are security risks.”11 It is the state that decide [...] As the international system continues to face the “highest levels of displacement on record”,13 the U. S. State Department decided to cut refugee admission to 45,000 in FY 2018, which has been considered a historic low and an abandonment of its leadership on refugee resettlements (in addition to the rampant anti-immigration rhetoric the current U. S. administration employs).14 Canada, on the other [...] The Safe Third Country Agreement between the United States and Canada does not allow individuals to apply for asylum in both countries but instead forces them to apply for asylum in the first country of entry.19 Therefore, the agreement allows Canada to single-handedly return asylum seekers to the United States who attempt to cross the land border. [...] However, concerns have been raised about making these assumptions as some argue that the United States has failed to meet the standards of a safe third country.20 In the wake of the current crisis over immigration in the United States and tightening restrictions on asylum claims, these concerns are more pronounced, potentially leading to the key principle of the 1951 Refugee Convention – non-refou