Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Electronic Travel Authorization and the Interdiction of Asylum Seekers at the Canada–US Security Perimeter.

In early 2016, Canada quietly announced the delay of its new electronic travel authorization (eTA) system, which will transform how millions traveling to Canada are screened. As with other parts of the developing Canada–US security perimeter, the announcement received little attention in the public sphere, which is problematic on at least two counts. First, it inhibits a better understanding of the distinctive regional governance structures that define North American integration. Second, it limits awareness of how the perimeter—by pushing decision-making from ports-of-entry in to points-of-departure beyond North America—enables interdiction, preventing asylum seekers from seeking protection from persecution in Canada and rendering them “out of sight, out of mind.” This article explores these gaps and effects through an analysis of policy developments and public debates (reflected in government and media documents) surrounding the perimeter’s emergence, consolidation, and—with the eTA—expansion since 1995. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]