Man seeking asylum in Canada trapped at US Ice facility after he says he crossed border by mistake

"Mahin Shahriar, 28, who came to Canada from Bangladesh in 2019, told the Canadian Press he accepted an invitation from a friend to visit a property near Montreal, which he now suspects was part of a broader human trafficking operation. He says the alleged property was in a rural area and when he couldn't find it, he called the acquaintance for directions. Then I found myself in the US, he said. It was not my intention. Shahriar approached immigration officials when he realized his mistake and was subsequently detained."

"It's not that CBSA isn't accepting him it's that they won't even respond to us at all, said immigration lawyer Washim Ahmed. The last time he received correspondence from the border agency was in July. Quite simply, they have a legal obligation to bring him back. Ahmed says that, under the safe third country agreement, Canada is required to bring Shahriar back because he was detained by border officials within 14 days of illegally entering the US."

Mahin Shahriar, a 28-year-old who arrived from Bangladesh in 2019 and is a refugee claimant in Canada, says he mistakenly crossed into the US while seeking a property near Montreal he now suspects was linked to human trafficking. Shahriar approached US immigration officials and was detained. His lawyer, Washim Ahmed, says the Canada Border Services Agency has not responded to requests to repatriate him despite a legal obligation under the safe third country agreement and potential exception due to his family ties and claimant status. Ahmed has asked federal courts to compel a formal CBSA decision to enable judicial review.

Read at www.theguardian.com