Canadian citizen and Maine senator's adopted son flies to Canada after NH traffic stop detention

Jessie Laurel Tepler Mujambere arrived in Canada on Friday after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him in New Hampshire. The 28-year-old, who is the adopted son of Maine state senator Denise Tepler, had recently obtained Canadian citizenship before the arrest. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Friday that ICE planned to remove him to Canada, and his family verified his arrival in the country.

His sister, Maya Tepler, said by phone that Mujambere seemed to be doing well. She described the incident as not too harrowing compared to other reported encounters with immigration agents. Maya Tepler called the outcome a best-case scenario for a worst-case situation, noting that he could have faced deportation to Burundi if he had not possessed his new Canadian passport.

The detention occurred during a traffic stop in New Hampshire. A law enforcement agency participating in the federal 287(g) program made the stop. Under that agreement, state and local officers assist ICE with immigration enforcement. Maine passed a law earlier this year that prohibits such agreements within the state's borders, though the stop happened in New Hampshire.

DHS officials stated that Mujambere entered the United States in 2014 on a visa that expired in 2015. The agency said his pending asylum application did not confer legal status. Immigration attorneys noted that asylum seekers had traditionally been permitted to live and work in the U.S. while their cases were pending, a practice that shifted after President Donald Trump began his second term in 2025.

Mujambere came to the United States as a teenager fleeing violence in Burundi. In 2018, state Sen. Denise Tepler, a Democrat from Topsham, and her husband, attorney Sheldon Tepler, agreed to become his legal guardians. He graduated from Mt. Ararat High School that same year. His family said he had been seeking asylum for 10 years.

Maya Tepler expressed anger that a government organization was violating civil rights, including those of Canadian citizens at the border. She described the agency as one from which no one is safe. The family is monitoring the situation as they process the events of the week.

The next step in the process involves Mujambere settling into his residence in Canada. His legal guardians in Maine are expected to review the details of the detention with their legal team. The incident has drawn attention to how the 287(g) program operates in neighboring states where it remains legal.