'Torn from my family.' Dad denied reentry into US is legal NH resident, he says

Julia Marnin, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Jul 10, 2025

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A father of five has legally lived in New Hampshire for more than 40 years but was refused reentry into the U.S. from Canada after a routine visit, he told news outlets.

After visiting family in Canada with three of his children, Chris Landry, 46, was not allowed through a border crossing in Houlton, Maine, on July 6 — marking the first time he has been barred from returning to the U.S. from the neighboring nation, Landry said in an interview with NBC10 Boston.

Federal immigration officers would not let Landry, a Canadian citizen who lives in Peterborough, New Hampshire, reenter the U.S. over two misdemeanors he faced in 2004 and 2007, he told The Keene Sentinel newspaper.

The officers sent him away and threatened him with detainment if he came back, he said.

“After waiting and being told I was likely going to be able to go home, the supervisor came out said, ‘Listen, we’re going to do you a favor and we’re going to turn you back around to Canada and we’re not going to detain you today, but if you come back to the border we will detain you immediately,” Landry said while speaking with the newspaper.

Now, he remains in New Brunswick, Canada, where he had been seeing his father, grandmother and extended family members, according to The Keene Sentinel.

Landry fears U.S. immigration authorities won’t allow him to continue living in the U.S. with his children and his partner, NBC10 Boston reported.

Though he had been supportive of President Donald Trump, Landry believes his unexpected situation stems from the Trump administration’s strict immigration enforcement actions, he told the TV station.

“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,” Landry said, according to NBC 10 Boston.

“I’ve been torn from my family,” he added. “My life has been disregarded completely.”

What CBP says

About two decades ago, Landry was convicted of a marijuana offense and of driving with a suspended license, WMUR reported citing court records. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail for both offenses but the sentences were ultimately suspended.

In response to an inquiry on Landry from McClatchy News, a CBP spokesperson said “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 and abused.”

“Lawful Permanent Residents presenting at a U.S. 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 spokesperson added.

In the U.S., green card holders have the right to stay in the country permanently and are protected by state and federal laws, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

As a result, green card holders must abide by laws when inside the U.S.

Landry told NBC 10 Boston that he travels to Canada every year, sometimes more than once, and had never experienced pushback from U.S. border officers previously.

While speaking about his misdemeanor convictions with WMUR, he said “I went to court, paid my fines and never got in trouble again since 2007.”

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., told the TV station that she and her constituent services team are exploring possible ways to help Landry.

“We will check in with our offices, and there is a standard protocol we go through to try to see if there are ways we can be of assistance,” Hassan said to WMUR.

According to a July 1 Marist poll, more than half of Americans believe the Trump Administration has “gone too far” with immigration enforcement actions carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, McClatchy News reported.

That is the perspective of 54% of respondents surveyed by Marist. Others polled, 26%, feel ongoing ICE activities are “about right,” while 18% said they think ICE has “not gone far enough.”

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