Buffalo, New York - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Peace Bridge port of entry encountered and refused the admission of a Canadian citizen, after discovering he was suspected of being involved in a parental abduction.

Peace Bridge port of entry in Buffalo, N.Y.

On July 27, CBP officers at the Peace Bridge port of entry encountered a Canadian citizen traveling with two minor Canadian citizen children.  During the primary inspection, the primary officer became concerned that the children were not authorized to leave the country after one of the children became visibly upset.  The family was escorted to secondary for further inspection.  (Due to the nature of the situation and age of the children, all names have been withheld).

CBP officers coordinated with Canadian law enforcement partners and confirmed that the subject had in fact taken the children from a sports camp in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area without the custodial parent’s knowledge or permission and was not permitted to take them out of the country.  After coordination with the Canada Border Service Agency and the Toronto Police Department, CBP officers assisted in returning the children safely to Canada where they were reunited with their mother. The father was arrested by the Toronto Police Department.

“CBP officers are trained to identify indicators warranting further inspection of individuals arriving at the U.S. border,” said Director, Field Operations Rose Brophy. “Although our usual focus is on matters involving national security, our officers are committed to assisting law enforcement partners, helping to keep our communities safe, and in this case, protecting the innocent.”