A packed car, a northern border, and an interstate arrest
“His car was packed, completely packed, totally ready to go. He’s like, I’m moving to Canada. I’m 28 years old now to start my life,” Denise Tepler said of her son, Jessie Laurel Tepler-Mujambere, as News 9 reported.
That journey ended not in a new chapter across the northern border, but in a multi-day detention circuit across New Hampshire jails that his family calls an expensive administrative detour. Tepler-Mujambere, a 28-year-old originally from Burundi who had lived with his adoptive family in Maine for a decade, was pulled over by police near Colebrook, New Hampshire, while driving to Canada to begin his life anew.
Federal records and the limits of pending applications
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Tepler-Mujambere was stopped for speeding, at which point authorities determined he was illegally present in the United States. According to federal records cited by News 9, Tepler-Mujambere first entered the country through Dulles International Airport on November 10, 2014, with permission to stay until May 5, 2015. DHS officials maintained that he overstayed that permission.
The situation highlights a tense intersection between pending immigration filings and federal enforcement priorities. Tepler-Mujambere’s family explained that his federal work permit was not renewed in June, though he received approval for Canadian citizenship in July, with the official paperwork arriving in the final week of October. He also held a pending asylum status application in the United States.
The strict line of enforcement policy
However, federal enforcement policy draws a strict line regarding pending applications. A DHS spokesperson told News 9 in a statement that “a pending application does NOT confer legal status in the United States.”
Following the traffic stop near the Canadian border, Tepler-Mujambere’s transit became circular. His family recounted that he was driven from Colebrook to the Strafford County Jail in Dover for an overnight stay. The following morning, he was transferred south to Manchester, then hauled back north to the Strafford County Jail for a second night before officers finally drove him to the Vermont border with Canada on Friday morning, where authorities released him.
State senator criticizes unnecessary taxpayer expenses for detention and towing
Denise Tepler, who serves as a state senator in Maine, criticized the handling of her son’s departure as an unnecessary drain on public resources. Pointing out that he was already in possession of his Canadian citizenship documents and nearly at the international boundary, she questioned the rationale behind housing him in county facilities for two nights at taxpayer expense.
Financial burdens also accumulated locally. Tepler noted that her son’s vehicle was towed to a New Hampshire garage, incurring a $150 towing charge alongside a $100 daily storage fee.
Officials encourage self-deportation as departure concludes across the border
Amid ongoing debates over immigration enforcement, DHS officials continue to encourage individuals who lack legal status in the United States to pursue self-deportation. For Tepler-Mujambere, the journey that began with packed boxes in Maine ultimately concluded across the border.
