Newsweek: US Citizen Detained After Visiting Canada: 'Treated Like a Criminal'

[Dennis Donovan]

Newsweek - US Citizen Detained After Visiting Canada: 'Treated Like a Criminal'

Published Apr 16, 2025 at 5:19 AM EDT
Billal Rahman
Immigration Reporter

A U.S. citizen says he was detained at the northern border while returning from Canada.

Bachir Atallah and his wife, Jessica Fakhri, say they were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in Vermont on Sunday while returning from a brief family trip.

"I literally drove my car to Canada for the weekend, and on the way back, I was treated like a criminal," Atallah, a New Hampshire real estate attorney who has been an American citizen for 10 years, told NBC10 Boston.

Newsweek has contacted CBP for further comment via email outside of normal office hours.

/snip

[Walleye]

1. In fact, we are all being treated like criminals. Accused of cheating on our Social Security.

Automatically assumed to be doing something wrong that is not the American way

[Emile]

2. WTF US Customs. Surprised they didn't send

them to El Salvador.

[DemMedic]

3. A co-worker and his husband are in Quebec right now

I sent the article to them for a heads up.

[Buns_of_Fire]

4. My ex- was thinking about a European trip. I advised against it.

The problem right now isn't getting out. The problem is getting back in again.

It's a damned shame, though, that we didn't have tighter standards when Dear Leader's wimpy-ass grandfather slithered into this country.

[mackdaddy]

5. I watched a YT vid interview of this guy. At the end he drops that he voted for Trump.

He is a naturalized citizen and a lawyer. I guess he though this treatment would only apply to them 'other' brown people...

[AllyCat]

6. Yup! He said something like "I thought Mr Trump

would make it better here”. Sounded like he supported him.

[Johnny2X2X]

7. Could be you next

This is a dire situation. The media is downplaying it, but it's going to expand to beyond "brown" people soon enough, already has some places. Trump and his cabal of criminals want to arrest and jail the opposition. We're on the cusp of being sent to prison because your social media has posts critical of trump.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Good Grief! My cousin and his wife just returned from Canada 2 weeks ago

They said that there were a lot of pro-Canada signs and posters, but everyone was nice to them and they had no issues at the border. They're from Colorado. I should send them this article.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. I would probably warn them. We're living in strange times.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. They're now safely back home in Colorado. Johnny is my cousin Cindy's older brother and I've only met them once before

I liked them a lot. They took my brother and me out to dinner and the miracle was that my brother actually left the house!