By M10News North America Desk | Published: July 15, 2025
A Canadian-born man who has lived legally in the United States for over four decades has been barred from returning home to his wife and five children in New Hampshire due to historical cannabis-related convictions.
Christopher Landry, 46, who holds a valid U.S. green card, was turned away by border officials last week while attempting to re-enter the United States with two of his daughters at the Houlton, Maine, crossing. The incident has left him stranded in Grand-Barachois, New Brunswick, and separated from his family.
Landry, who moved to the U.S. as a toddler, said he was detained and questioned for three hours by American border agents who flagged two past convictions—one for cannabis possession in 2004 and another for driving with a suspended license in 2007.
“After the questioning, I was told to turn around and seek a pathway to have my case reviewed by an immigration judge,” Landry told reporters. “They said if I try to come back again, I’ll be detained, and that process could take months or even years.”
The father of five now faces the grim prospect of being held in detention if he attempts re-entry—a process that would expedite a hearing but carry significant personal risk.
Landry said he has crossed the U.S.-Canada border numerous times over the years without issue and was unaware his past offences could result in such severe consequences. “It feels like death. I miss my family. It’s hard not knowing when—or if—I’ll get back,” he said.
His daughters have since been allowed back into the U.S., while Landry remains with his grandmother in New Brunswick and is now urgently seeking legal avenues to appeal the decision.
“We’ve always lived peacefully in the U.S. as green card holders,” he said. “I’m a third-generation green card holder. We never thought our status was at risk.”
His grandmother, Clara, who also holds a green card, expressed disbelief. “For 40 years, we were told the green card was enough. We never needed a passport,” she said.
Legal experts say Landry’s case highlights growing scrutiny at U.S. borders, particularly regarding older drug offences. Nova Scotia-based immigration lawyer Blair Hodgman, who is not representing Landry, said that controlled substance convictions have long been grounds for inadmissibility, but enforcement may now be tightening.
“In theory, these convictions always made someone inadmissible,” Hodgman explained. “But it’s likely he was overlooked before. Now they’re being more diligent.”
Landry, a self-described “Can-American,” says he still considers both Canada and the United States home. “I have Canadian pride, but I’ve built a life in the U.S.,” he said. “My job, my kids, my wife—they’re all there.”
Despite being ineligible to vote in U.S. elections, Landry said he once supported Donald Trump, hoping for better economic conditions. But now, he believes immigration policies under Trump’s influence have backfired.
“He’s hurting people who haven’t done anything wrong. People make mistakes, but it’s what you do after that that matters,” he said. “I never supported illegal immigration, but this… this is hard.”
Landry says he’s now consulting lawyers and his state senator in a bid to return home legally. “I just want to go back to my life, my work, and most of all—my family.”
Editing by M10News North America Desk | Contact: info@m10news.com
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