The ‘Not so Safe’ Third Country Agreement: An Analysis of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement

Abstract

This major research paper examines the impact of the Canada- U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement relating to the current refugee crisis, especially with the current American presidential administration with Donald Trump. The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States was implemented on December 29th, 2004 and will be examined in terms of its relations to state security and human security in the current refugee context. The paper provides context to the current refugee crisis with the Safe Third Country Agreement under the Trump Administration. The paper examines the theory of criminalization in relation to the unintended consequences of the Safe Third Country Agreement. The paper also provides a policy analysis and a critical analysis of the Safe Third Country Agreement. The paper also provides possible solutions and recommendations to either suspend or abolish the Safe Third Country Agreement. Key Words: Safe Third Country Agreement, Criminalization, Refugees, Non-Refoulement