A court challenge that will attempt to prove the U.S. is no longer a safe haven for refugees began Monday in Toronto, Canada.

Axar.az reports citing Anadolu Agency.

The Third Country Agreement between the two countries stops people from crossing into Canada from the U.S., or from the U.S. into Canada and was signed 17 years ago.

But Several advocacy groups will argue in court that the Trump administration has tightened asylum rules that no longer make the U.S. a safe home for refugees and that Canada should not turn away those who try to cross into Canada from the U.S. at official crossing points.

“Refugee claimants are being detained indefinitely in conditions that are nothing short of cruel and unusual, simply for seeking protection,” one court document states.

The challenge to the Third Country Agreement was launched after a Salvadoran woman attempted to leave the U.S. because of tightened rules and wanted to enter Canada at one of the official crossing points. She said she was seeking asylum because she had been targeted by gangs in her home country.

But she was told by Canadian border officials that she could not cross into Canada because of the agreement.

Her request came as U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to ban immigrants from Muslim countries and lifted the rules on how long Central American nations could remain in the country.

That did not sit well with Canadians, said Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees, one of the groups behind the federal court challenge.