Biden meets with Trudeau as US, Canada set to announce immigration agreement
Written by ABC AUDIO on March 24, 2023
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday are expected to announce a new migration deal as part of Biden’s first visit to America’s northern neighbor.
The two leaders will hold a joint news conference after Biden addresses the Canadian Parliament.
The new agreement will allow Canada to send more migrants who cross at unofficial ports of entry of America’s northern border back to the U.S., according to a senior U.S. official and another person familiar with the deal.
In return, Canada has agreed to allow 15,000 more people from the Western Hemisphere to migrate to Canada legally.
Ahead of Biden’s visit, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters the administration was “committed” to working with Canada to address the increase in migration going north but declined to confirm the deal.
The Bidens arrived in Canada on Thursday, and were welcomed by Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau at their residence in Ottawa.
The U.S.-Canada relationship was strained during the previous administration as Trudeau and former President Donald Trump clashed on a number of issues, including trade and immigration. But the alliance has since mended under Biden.
“We have no greater friend and ally than the United States,” Trudeau said after he and Biden sat down for a bilateral meeting on Friday morning.
Biden began the day on Parliament Hill for an official welcome and meetings with Trudeau, Canada’s Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and others.
Trudeau said they’ve been “working closely together over the past few years” on the economy, climate change, geopolitical security and standing up for values around the world.
Biden remarked that the U.S. is lucky to have Canada as a neighboring ally.
“All the values are the same, we disagree and agree on things occasionally but there’s no fundamental difference in the democratic values we share,” Biden said.
In addition to immigration, Trudeau and Biden are expected to discuss a range of economic and security issues.
In the evening, Biden and first lady Jill Biden will attend a gala dinner hosted by the Trudeaus at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa before departing for Wilmington, Delaware.
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