In Canada, a federal court has ruled that an asylum agreement with the United States is invalid, saying the U.S. violates the human rights of refugees. The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S. was established in 2004, and it required refugees to seek asylum in the first safe country they reached in their journey. Refugees arriving to the U.S.-Canada border were often turned away and forced to go back to the U.S. to apply for asylum there. Attorneys and refugees seeking refuge in Canada have long argued the U.S. is no longer safe for asylum seekers.