The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Eduardo Aguirre spoke to the Summit Institute’s international forum on the US–Canadian relationship. 

In his speech Aguirre compared America’s principles to Canada’s, saying both countries were founded according to similar main beliefs, such as freedom and democracy.  Aguirre reconfirmed the USCIS’s commitment to working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to both increase both countries’ homeland security and to uphold liberty.

Director Aguirre noted significant developments on information sharing and bilateral coordination on refugee and asylee matters.  A complete and suitable information exchange on asylum seekers will be established in accordance with the Statement of Mutual Understanding between USCIS and CIC and its pending Asylum Annex.  This information exchange will result in a more proactive identification of the individual in question and a more immediate verification of any potential security or criminal threats.

Aguirre also spoke about the Safe Third Country Agreement, and how it will allow both the United States and Canada to better facilitate the flow of asylum seekers once it is implemented.  The agreement would regulate an asylum seeker’s ability to choose a country of refuge.  The seeker would then be able be required to present their claim in the country they are in at the land border ports of entry.

Both the initiatives Aguirre discussed accompany the December 2002 Smart Border Action Plan, which was signed by Deputy Prime Minister John Manley and then-Governor Tom Ridge.

On Aguirre’s two-day trip to Ottawa, he met with Deputy Minister Michel Dorais, CIC, Associate Deputy Minister Jonathan Fried, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci.