Minister Mendicino meets with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas

Readout

August 10, 2021

Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, concluded a successful visit to Washington, D.C., where he met with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.

As a continuation of their first call in June 2021, Minister Mendicino and Secretary Mayorkas discussed their ongoing commitment to protecting the integrity of our shared North American perimeter and to managing a secure border that allows for necessary travel as pandemic border restrictions begin to ease. They also discussed issues of mutual interest and priorities for cooperation on global migration, including those set out in the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership issued by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden in February 2021.

They discussed working together on solutions to global migration and refugee protection issues, and in particular, addressing the sources and challenges of forced displacement and irregular migration in Central America, investing in the region to enhance protection systems, and promoting and expanding complementary pathways such as community sponsorship and labour mobility programs. They also highlighted the critical role of regular, safe and orderly migration pathways, including contributions by temporary workers to economic growth and meeting labour market needs. Finally, they discussed the importance of cooperation in multilateral forums such as the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS) Support Platform.

The Minister’s meeting demonstrates Canada’s ongoing commitment to working with the U.S. on immigration issues, building upon our strong relationship in the coming years and delivering on the Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership. During his visit to Washington, Minister Mendicino also met with the Migration Policy Institute to discuss the challenges of irregular migration in the Americas, and the World Bank to discuss the role of migration in supporting economic recovery post-pandemic.

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