OTTAWA, Canada (Reuters) — Canada will offer temporary residency to people stranded in the country as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration, Canadian Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said on Sunday (January 29).
“We will continue to ensure that our immigration system is about compassion, efficiency and economic opportunity and the protection of the health, safety and security of canadians. We welcome that fleeing persecution, terror, and war,” said Hussen at a news conference in Ottawa.
While Canada is considering its policy options, the government does not plan to withdraw from the safe third-party agreement with the United States at this time, Hussen said.
The agreement requires refugees to make a claim in whichever country they arrive in first, meaning they cannot land in the United States and then try to claim asylum in Canada or vice versa.