When Christopher Landry was making his annual trip to New Brunswick from New Hampshire, he didn’t think he would run into any problems.
But on his way home crossing the border to the U.S. in Houlton, Maine, he found out he wasn’t allowed back.
“My family depends on me for food, shelter, clothing, everything.” he said. “So I’m missing that. It’s my entire life I’m missing.”
He said border officers told him, because of convictions in 2004 and 2007 for possession of marijuana and driving with a suspended licence, he was subject to detention.
New Hampshire man wonders when he’ll get home after being denied entry to the U.S
At the time, he was given a suspended sentence and paid his fine.
“Every little detail has been put on hold, from my dog’s veterinary appointments to taking my kids to the doctor’s appointments and paying bills … my life has been disrupted.”
Landry was born in New Brunswick and moved to Peterborough, New Hampshire, 43 years ago, when he was three-years-old.
He is a legal U.S. resident, and has a partner, five children and a job in manufacturing in his home state, and comes up to visit his extended family and grandparents near Shediac, N.B., at least once a year.
“My family is quite distraught.” said Landry. “We’re also going to prepare ourselves for the worst, because at this point we just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
He said he will try to make the most of his time in New Brunswick, including visiting the lobster festival with two of his daughters.
Landry was told to see an immigration judge for a hearing to find out what happens next.
Blair Hodgman, a U.S. and Canadian immigration lawyer with the firm Allen and Hodgman, says it’s an unusual situation, but anyone with an American criminal history should be wary of travel right now.
“Normally a permanent resident would not be refused admission for an offence like that,” she said.
“When you have a criminal history in the United States, it doesn’t go away.
“It’s surprising, but it’s not surprising”
She said Landry should speak with a U.S. lawyer in New Hampshire, and that he has the right to go before an immigration judge and ask for bond and ask for cancellation of removal to sort out his rights.
“I would tell him, do not, absolutely do not try to go to the United States without retaining a U.S. immigration lawyer in the United States.”
Hodgman is a dual citizen in the U.S. and Canada herself, and lives in Nova Scotia now.
“It’s frightening to me what’s going on in the United States and the threats even against U.S. lawyers, against U.S. citizens,” she said. “It’s a very frightening scenario. So I’m very happy to be here in Nova Scotia.”
She advised travellers that if they have any form of irregularity in their history to get help from competent counsel before leaving the country.
“Always be truthful,” she added. “Usually nothing disastrous can befall you if you’re truthful.”
Landry says he’s critical of U.S. President Donald Trump’s scrutiny of the border between Canada and the U.S.
“In the United States … It doesn’t matter if you’re a better person now, 20 years later, they’re going to hold it against you.”
He said he was supportive of Trump before he was elected, but he said he felt misled.
“If I had known that he was going to do this to hundreds, if not thousands of people across America, whether they deserve it or not, like, I don’t know if I would have supported that,” he said.
“As far as supporting this administration, it definitely has changed my views. I think it’s gone too far.”
