Ottawa, Canada - Canadian authorities are facing criticism over a policy which has seen numerous asylum seekers turned away at the US border, sending them straight into the arms of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

When President Donald Trump began his brutal migration purge last year, Carlos and Antonia were forced to flee once again, venturing north to the Canadian border.

Along with their tiny toddler Alejandro, they had already fled their home in Honduras back in 2021, facing threats of gang violence in Honduras.

At the border with Canada, though, their attempt to escape Trump's violent crackdown hit a snag when an agent allowed Carlos and Alejandro in, but not Antonia.

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"What am I supposed to tell my son about why they're not going to let his mother come in with us?" Carlos recalled telling the Canadian border officer during an interview with the Guardian.

"The border officer just said, 'That's your problem, you've got 20 minutes to make a decision,'" Carlos explained.

"There was no way I could be separated from my son," Antonia said, in tears. "I was completely in shock… And then my son started crying, too."

In the end, they opted to return to the US, where they were abducted by ICE and deported back to Honduras.

This is but one story detailed in a court challenge by the Canadian Council for Refugees and Amnesty International Canada, who are accusing Ottawa of failing to uphold legal safeguards for asylum seekers.

"Refugees are being turned away at our borders and handed over to the U.S. system of cruelty and chaos," Amnesty International Secretary General Ketty Nivyabandi said in a press release.

"Instead of protecting people fleeing persecution, Canada is violating their rights and exposing them to harm," she said. "Canada must put an end to this unconscionable practice without delay."