Canada-U.S. asylum-seeker pact fight goes to Canada's Supreme Court

FILE PHOTO: Asylum seekers stand with their luggage as they cross into Canada from the U.S. border near a checkpoint on Roxham Road near Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada April 24, 2022. Picture taken April 24, 2022. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi/File Photo

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's Supreme Court Justices questioned whether asylum-seekers that Canada sends back to the United States are really automatically detained and if "safety valves" are available, peppering lawyers with questions during a hearing on Thursday over a U.S.-Canada asylum-seeker pact.

A years-long battle over the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement has reached Canada's highest court, where lawyers sparred over whether existing protections are sufficient for asylum-seekers turned back at the Canada-U.S. border.