Jessie Tepler-Mujambere was traveling to Canada to establish himself as a citizen of that country, but a police stop in New Hampshire ended in immigration detention.
The 28-year-old, adopted son of Democratic state Senator Denise Tepler, spent two nights in custody before arriving in Canadian territory.
The detention occurred on Wednesday, October 28, in Colebrook, when he was near the border and carrying documentation of his Canadian citizenship.
His family questions why authorities interrupted his departure from the United States only to transfer him to the country he was already heading to.
His destination was #Canada, but he ended up detained by #ICE just a few kilometers from the border. The adopted son of a Democratic senator spent two nights in custody before being handed over to the relevant authorities.
https://t.co/guxjMsAk3y https://t.co/1O4QNs7LOv
— Quinta Fuerza (@QuintaFuerzaMX) November 3, 2026
. The Department of Homeland Security maintained that Tepler-Mujambere had remained in the United States after his stay authorization expired in May 2015.
Originally from Burundi, he entered the country in November 2014. His family explained that he had been waiting for years for a resolution to his asylum application.
Federal authorities argued that having a pending petition does not, in itself, grant legal immigration status in the United States.
This was the immigration basis presented by the Government, while the family insisted that the young man was leaving the country of his own accord.
The intervention began with a traffic stop that, according to the federal version, was motivated by excessive speed.
The Colebrook police participate in the 287(g) program, through which authorized local agents collaborate in the application of federal immigration laws.
After that intervention, Tepler-Mujambere was placed in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service, known as ICE.
Denise Tepler criticized this collaboration and questioned whether local police have sufficient training to intervene in immigration cases, especially when there are pending procedures.
During his detention, the young man passed through the Strafford County jail and a migrant processing facility in Manchester.
According to ICE, he requested an incentivized departure to Canada on the same day of his arrest, according to the information provided to the media.
On Friday, October 30, he was taken to the border in Vermont. His family later confirmed that he had arrived in Canada.
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The Canadian consulate and the office of federal representative Chellie Pingree helped the family during the proceedings to finalize his departure.
The case highlights how a police stop can lead to immigration custody, even when the person claims to be leaving the country.
To locate someone who has been detained, families can consult the official ICE locator, using their personal data or alien number.
If the search does not yield results, USAGov recommends contacting an Office of Detention and Removal Operations, identified as ERO.
Once the place of detention is known, the detention center can also be contacted directly to obtain information about the detained person.
SOURCE: El Pais, Quinta Fuerza
