Immigration minister says U.S. is still safe for refugees despite Trump's rhetoric

President Donald Trump signs an executive order regarding the southern border in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Evan Vucci

OTTAWA — Refugee advocacy groups are pushing back as the federal immigration minister says Ottawa still regards the U.S. as a safe country for transgender refugees under President Donald Trump.

Trump signed executive orders on the first day of his new term to make recognizing gender based on biological characteristics U.S. government policy, and to pause the refugee program.

In an interview with CTV’s ‘Power Play,’ Immigration Minister Marc Miller says that despite the rhetoric coming out of the new administration, he sees the U.S. as a safe place for the purposes of the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement.

The agreement states that a refugee claimant landing in either Canada or the U.S. must make their claim in the country in which they first arrive.

The Canadian Council for Refugees and Amnesty International Canada both say this does not make sense in light of attacks on trans rights in the U.S. and Trump’s policies on refugees and migrants.

Both organizations are involved in a legal challenge of the Safe Third Country Agreement, set to be heard in Federal Court later this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025

David Baxter, The Canadian Press