NH resident blocked from returning from Canada

A man who has lived in the United States since he was 3 and raised a family in New Hampshire has found himself blocked from returning home from Canada.Speaking exclusively to News 9, Chris Landry, 46, said he was held for questioning and sent back to Canada on Sunday, apparently because of several misdemeanor offenses from about 20 years ago.”I never expected that I wouldn’t be able to go back home,” Landry said.Landry said he took a trip to Canada like he has done for the past 40 years. But this time, he couldn’t come back home to New Hampshire.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<“It was scary,” he said. “I felt like I was being treated like a criminal.”The legal U.S. resident who is a Canadian national said he was denied entry at the border in Maine this weekend. He said he was held for three hours with two of his five children and turned back to Canada over old misdemeanor offenses tied to marijuana and a suspended license from 2004 and 2007.”It’s really a living nightmare is what it is,” he said.Court documents show Landry was convicted of the drug-related offenses and received two 60-day jail sentences that were suspended.”I went to court, paid my fines and never got in trouble again since 2007,” he said.Landry has reached out to members of the state’s congressional delegation for help. “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,” said U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-New Hampshire.Landry’s family in Peterborough is connecting with him virtually as they wait for answers.”We need him here,” said his partner, Jessica Bekier. “I need him here. He’s my support.”Landry said he’s not giving up and is determined to hug his family again in the Granite State.”But one way or another, we’re going to get through it one way or another,” Landry said. “We’re going to be together again.”News 9 has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for comment but has not yet received a response.

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