A Haitian family was separated at the Quebec-U.S. border this spring due to a "legal glitch" in the Safe Third Country Agreement that immigration lawyers fear could affect more migrants fleeing the United States.

After CBSA officers allowed only the father to enter Canada based on his close relative connection, his pregnant wife, facing medical complications, paid smugglers $4,000 to cross the border with their seven-year-old daughter through melting snow.

Experts cite an oversight in the definition of "anchor relative" that doesn't include pre-removal risk assessment applicants, potentially preventing legitimate asylum seekers from having their cases considered.

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