For decades, Canada and the United States have pursued a policy of intensifying border integration through reciprocal information and intelligence sharing, as well as recognizing each other as safe jurisdictions for asylum seekers and requiring people to claim asylum in the first country of arrival. Since Donald Trump’s second term began, the mutual trust and shared commitment to upholding the rule of law that has underpinned these collaborations has eroded. In formulating a response, Canadian lawmakers must contend with a paradox of integration. Ongoing information and intelligence sharing and continuing to return asylum seekers to the United States under existing agreements directly implicates Canada in potentially unlawful activities. Yet Canada’s capacity to push back against these policies is limited by both the prospect of American retaliation as well as dynamics of asymmetric reliance that have developed over decades of border integration. While the Trump administration has leaned into public controversies arising from its rapidly evolving policies, it would be wise for Canada to take a slower, more deliberative approach to re-asserting autonomy and defending the rule of law in Canadian border security.
