Canadian Man Stranded In Canada Begs To Come Home
The curious case of Terrence J. McBride.
People are beginning to realize declaring “I’m an American citizen” doesn’t carry quite the same weight with immigration officials as it once did. Even for white people.
A 63-year-old man born in Halifax who was adopted by Americans as a baby learned this the hard way after being detained at a border crossing between Maine and New Brunswick and denied entry to the US because believing you’re an American isn’t the same as actually being one.
Canadian passport holder Terrence J. McBride found US border guards were no longer willing to simply take his word for it that he’s a fellow citizen and is now desperately trying to prove that he is.
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“I spent my whole life assuming I’m American,” he told CTV News. “A couple of times I’ve crossed the border and they’ve said, ‘Hey, just so you know, you might need some stuff the next time, but no big deal.’ Suddenly, it’s a big deal.”
McBride’s troubles began in April when attempting to drive back to Georgia after visiting Canada for unspecified reasons. He was sent packing after spending a day-and-a-half in custody and told not to come back until he gets his hands on a passport or citizenship number. The experience was so stressful he reportedly suffered a heart attack, lost his dog, and is now living in limbo in a sketchy rooming house in Saint John, a foggy port city founded by American Loyalists who arrived under duress themselves after being on the losing side of the Revolutionary War.
“I want to go home,” said McBride while choking back tears. “They’re the people that make me feel valued enough, loved, appreciated and thought of. I want to go there, because I don’t have that. I don’t have that here.”
It’s hard to summon a lot of sympathy for a grownass man who’d been repeatedly warned he’d need the proper paperwork to cross in the future, but white privilege is a hell of a drug. While this may seem just the schadenfreude du jour with a member of the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party devastated leopards would eat their face, it’s unlikely he voted for the country’s current Nazi problem due to being ineligible as a noncitizen. Although the casual racism and poor command of the English language displayed on his Facebook page early in his ordeal hint at which way the southern man might’ve gone:
“Now if i were a MS 13 gang member, with ties to human trafficking and spouse abuser who’s been living in the US illegally and even flagged to be deported by biden 3 years ago A senator Van Holland might come see if I’m ok? But seems he’s busy In San Salvador trying to help aforementioned individual who’s been arrested and deported.. Can’t believe I’m actually in that category.. No one is rushing to save my American ass. [sic]”
But it turns out there are some people willing to save his unAmerican ass after local media reported on his predicament last week, and his GoFundMe page — where he inexplicably claims he’s being “held in Canada” — to hire a lawyer has reached more than $8,000 at last count.
There are a LOT of unaswered questions in this story. How is it possible he still has a Canadian passport, which needed to be renewed every five years until it was extended to 10 in 2013? Why couldn’t border officials confirm the alleged US Navy veteran’s identity through military records? Did taxpayers foot the bill for his hospital stay and, if so, wouldn’t a little fucking gratitude be appropriate? Is the free healthcare the reason the old guy was up here to begin with? And, more importantly, what became of his seven-year-old beagle when he was unable to take care of it?
Sadly, we may never know.
One thing is certain though: Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) won’t come galloping to the rescue because, unlike poor Kilmar Abrego Garcia, McBride isn’t one of his constituents. The idiot could always try a Hail Mary pass to Democratic Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff or Raphael Warnock but they’re probably too busy to come visit him in my hometown, which is actually much nicer than the godless shithole he makes it out to be.
But at least he’s still allowed to walk around free and isn’t facing being tortured to death in a foreign land because infallible Dear Leader is incapable of admitting a mistake.
Give me a Canadian passport and you won't have a problem with me trying to cross the border.
This story is somewhat confusing. He's a Canadian by birth, was adopted by Americans, who never got it together to make him a citizen, but he FEELS like an American. That's a lot of white privilege to unpack.
All I really care about is the fate of the beagle, if I'm honest.