Giving people a chance

I'm not quite sure how the U.S. was first seen as a Safe Third Country for refugee purposes a year ago, but three humanitarian agencies are doing their best to give refugee claimants a chance to settle in Canada if they can't avoid passing through the U.S.:

The Canadian Council of Refugees, Amnesty International and the Canadian Council of Churches opposed the Safe Third Country Agreement even before it took effect a year ago.

They will ask the court to find that the United States does not meet the criteria of a safe country because it has not respected its obligations under the Convention Against Torture and the Refugee Convention.

They will also argue that, by returning refugee claimants to the United States, Canada is violating its international obligations as well as the claimants' Charter rights...

"We are asking that there at least be an opportunity for individual applicants to show why they would not be safe in the United States," said Ms. Dench, adding that she does not dispute the fact that the United States is a safe country for some refugees.

"Our concern is that it is not safe for all."

My initial gut reaction is that the lawsuit doesn't stand much chance of success given the deference usually given to departmental decisions, particularly ones with a political component as this one seems to include. But kudos to the humanitarian groups for at least calling attention to the department's willingness to put the lives of refugees in the hands of the U.S. government. And with some luck, maybe the action will result in more refugees getting a fair chance to stay in Canada than they'll get as long as the agreement is in force.

Edit: typo.