A New Hampshire Green Card holder and avid Trump supporter has been denied re-entry into the United States after visiting Canada.
Chris Landry, 46, has legally lived in the US since he was three years old and has built a life and a family in Peterborough.
But on Sunday, as he attempted to return home from his yearly trip to his native Canada, he was stopped at the border in Maine with three of his children and barred from re-entry.
‘They denied me re-entry and said, “Don’t come back or we will detain you,” and the only way for me to get in back was to see an immigration judge,’ Landry told NBC 10.
‘They pulled me aside and started questioning me about my past convictions in New Hampshire.’
After three hours, he was turned away due to charges he faced of marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license in 2004 and 2007.
At the time he was given a suspended sentence and paid the fines and said he has had no criminal record since.
‘I never expected that I wouldn’t be able to go back home,’ he told WMUR. ‘It was scary. I felt like I was being treated like a criminal.’
On Sunday, as Chris Landry (pictured) attempted to return home from his yearly trip to Canada, where he is a citizen, but he was stopped at the border in Maine with three of his children and barred from re-entry
Landry, 46, has legally lived in the US since he was three years old and has built a life and a family in Peterborough
Landry was turned away due to charges he faced of marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license in 2004 and 2007. At the time he was given a suspended sentence and paid the fines but said he has had no criminal record since
His three children who were with him in Canada, and all American citizens, are set to make their way home in the coming days.
Landry said he had never faced issues travelling across to Canada until now, and blamed the ‘new administration and their new policies’.
Though as a Green Card holder he is unable to vote, Landry avidly supported Donald Trump, but has since changed his tune.
‘I was definitely all for “Make America Great Again,” and having a strong, unified country, and a bright future for my five American children, but now I feel a little differently,’ he said.
Landry said it was the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigration that stranded him up north.
‘I’ve been torn from my family,’ he continued. ‘My life has been disregarded completely.’
Landry has appealed to the New Hampshire congressional delegation for help and hopes they will intervene.
The office of Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan said they had been in touch with the New Hampshire native, and told NBC that, ‘helping constituents navigate federal agencies and processes is a core function of Senator Hassan’s office.’
Landry said he had never faced issues travelling across to Canada until now, and blamed the ‘new administration and their new policies’
‘I’ve been torn from my family,’ Landry said. ‘My life has been disregarded completely’
US Customs and Border Protection told the outlet: ‘Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right, and under our nation’s laws, our government has the authority to revoke a green card if our laws are broken or abused.
‘Lawful Permanent Residents presenting at a US port of entry with previous criminal convictions may be subject to mandatory detention and/or may be asked to provide additional documentation to be set up for an immigration hearing.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to CBP for comment and did not receive and immediate response.
Landry now anxiously waits to see what will come of his efforts to return home and added: ‘It’s just very uncertain for me right now.’
His son, Caleb, posted on Facebook that Landry and his family have contemplated moving the whole family to Canada to avoid separation, ‘which is easier said than done.’
Landry continued: ‘I might end up spending the rest of my life in Canada. Who knows if I’ll ever have the right to re-enter the United States at this point?’
