Latest news with #EdouardLallemand
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
U.S. Coast Guard Capsizes Boat, Detains Canadian Who Insists He Was In Canadian Waters
A fisherman detained by U.S. federal agents insisted he was fishing in Canadian waters on Lake Champlain, but the U.S. Coast Guard claimed that he crossed into U.S. waters. In a totally proportional response, the Coast Guard capsized his borrowed boat and detained him in soaking wet clothes for almost two hours, reports CTV News. Lake Champlain straddles the borders of New York, Vermont, and Quebec. Edouard Lallemand believed he was fishing near Venise-en-Québec, at the northern tip of the lake in Canadian waters. A U.S. Coast Guard boat stopped him, and the officers on board insisted that he had illegally crossed the border into American waters. Lallemand said he's been fishing Lake Champlain for decades and knew he was in Canadian waters and at least 10 miles from the border, he told WCAX. Lallemand told CTV News he was polite enough in speaking to them, but insisted that they could not cross the border and arrest him. At this point, Lallemand started the engine, told the Coast Guard he would rather speak to them by the shore, and moved that way. The Coast Guard boat pursued him and tried to push him into U.S. waters, capsizing the boat and sending him into the water in the process. Lallemand said he almost drown in the altercation. The Coast Guard then pulled him out, handcuffed him, and turned him over to Customs and Border Protection, who jailed him for almost two hours in wet clothes and a dirty blanket. Read more: Nobody Does Land Yachts Like Cadillac, And These Are Five Of The Best Ones What Really Happened? According to the Coast Guard's statement to CTV News, Lallemand was "in U.S. Customs waters" at the time he was detained. The Coast Guard says he ignored orders to stop for boarding purposes, then suddenly turned and rammed the 29-foot RB-S II with his small fishing boat, causing it to capsize. This occurred at coordinates 65 yards south of the U.S. border, claims the Coast Guard. Google Maps confirms that the Coast Guard's claimed coordinates are 65 yards south of the border, which totally justifies the use of excessive force, I guess. It also confirms that the border is three miles south of the southern tip of the Venise-en-Québec peninsula. It's not like there is a marked line across the middle of the lake, but that still leaves Canadians a large area to enjoy without U.S. Coast Guard interference. Who are you going to believe, the man who has been fishing these waters for decades and knows them like the back of his hand? Or a government known for gross overreach, excessively aggressive border defense, detaining and rejecting a tourist because of a meme on his phone, and disappearing a man who crossed the border by accident? And which seems more likely; a man trying to retreat to the shore's relative safety when faced with oppressors from a foreign government, or the Coast Guard's claim that he deliberately rammed them with his small borrowed boat? It's hard to know for sure. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Fisherman reportedly detained by US coast guard in Canadian waters
A Canadian man claims he was arrested by the United States Coast Guard and turned over to Border Patrol after he was accused of fishing in American waters, which he denies. Edouard Lallemand, 60, borrowed a friend's boat on Sunday, July 20, to go fishing about nine miles north of the border separating the two countries on the northern tip of Lake Champlain. He claims that despite having fished the area for decades and being certain he had not crossed the border, the Coast Guard approached him and said he was in the United States. 'I said, 'No, I'm very sorry, I'm in Canada.' And I said, 'I'm polite enough to talk to you guys but you cannot arrest me. You can't come across the border and pick me up.' But they did,' he told CTV News. He attempted to restart his boat engine - having turned it off initially at their request - when he claims the Coast Guard started to push him into the United States until it capsized and he fell overboard. Lallemand (pictured) claims the Coast Guard tried to tie their boat to his and didn't bother to try and help him. 'The third time I went down, coming out with water in my mouth, spitting it out, I said, 'Throw me a buoy!' His wife, Darlene Fielding, wrote an angry post on her Facebook page in English and Quebecois French, stating: 'What happened to my husband should NEVER happen again.' Fielding - who said that she and her husband 'treat our pets' better than Lallemand was treated - called the experience 'terrifying' and told CTV her husband looked 'like a beaten man.' Lallemand had visible scrapes on his legs from the encounter. 'My husband was injured, traumatized, and stripped of his rights. We don't have the means to hire a lawyer, but we DO have the right to speak out,' she added in her Facebook post. The Coast Guard adamantly denies having approached Lallemand in Canadian waters in a statement, saying they were in American territory. 'While the Coast Guard's 29-ft response boat was alongside the vessel, the operator put the vessel in motion and ignored commands to maintain course and speed for boarding purposes,' they said. They then said that when Lallemand restarted his boat, he hit their vessel. 'The vessel then made an abrupt starboard turn and struck the port bow of the Coast Guard small-boat at coordinates 45°00.792'N, 073°10.608'W, approximately 65 yards south of the U.S./Canadian border. The collision caused the vessel to capsize, putting the operator in the water,' the statement reads. 'The actions of the operator of the Canadian vessel are currently under investigation,' they added. has reached out to U.S. Border Patrol for comment. It's yet another example of tensions between the United States and Canada, formerly close allies. The relationship has been strained in recent months by political rhetoric and cross-border air quality concerns linked to Canada's record-breaking wildfires. Earlier this month, Donald Trump threw a grenade on the tariff negotiations between the United States and Canada with a blistering letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney (pictured). The two nations had been trying to settle the tariff war that broke out when Trump returned to office and announced plans to reorganize world trade. Canadian officials had hoped a deal was close, but Trump's latest letter - which he shared to Truth Social on Thursday night - set negotiations back to square one. The letter revealed he would raise tariffs on Canadian products to 35 percent from August 1 - a 10 percent increase on the current levy. Trump said the tariff hike was in part due to the fentanyl crisis and Canada's 'failure to stop the drugs from pouring into our country'. 'I must mention that the flow of fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many tariff, and non-tariff, policies and trade barriers,' Trump wrote in the letter. Carney, who took office this year in a liberal win partly powered by Trump's trade actions and threats to make Canada the 51st state, his back in an online posting. 'Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses,' Carney wrote. 'We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1. Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries.' That came after Trump mentioned fentanyl in his trade letter, and called out Canada for a 'failure' to control it. 'If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,' Trump added. 'These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country,' he added. The latest round of tariffs are in addition to previously imposed sectoral tariffs on steel, copper and aluminum, which came into effect for most countries on June 4 at a whopping 50 percent. The latest travel advisory follows years of quietly simmering friction that boiled over earlier this year when President Trump repeatedly mocked former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to Canada as America's '51st state,' and demoting Trudeau to the title of 'governor.' The introduction of tariffs between the two countries and Trump's hardline immigration policies have also seen Canadian travel to the US plunge by up to 40 percent this spring, as stories of tourists caught in the web of US immigration enforcement made headlines across the border. In response to the spike in travel-related incidents, the Canadian government has since revised its own advisory for citizens visiting the US, bluntly stating that travelers must 'comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities' and warning that visitors 'could be detained while awaiting deportation.' Last month the US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra attempted to tamp down concerns, calling the fears 'unfounded' and the high-profile detentions 'isolated.'
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Newsweek
Canadian Man Furious After U.S. Coast Guard Cross 'Border' To Arrest Him
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Quebec man says he was wrongfully detained and humiliated by the U.S. Coast Guard after an encounter on Lake Champlain led to his boat capsizing and a brief stint in an American jail cell. Newsweek contacted the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for comment via email on Friday. Why It Matters The detention of 60-year-old Edouard Lallemand has prompted outrage from him and his wife and raised questions about enforcement on shared waterways, also highlighting how routine recreational activities near international borders can escalate unexpectedly. What to Know Lallemand said he had borrowed a friend's boat and was fishing near Venise-en-Québec, located about 15 kilometres north of the U.S. border at the northern end of Lake Champlain, which links the U.S. and Canada, CTV News reported. A lifelong fisherman, he insists he was within Canadian waters when U.S. Coast Guard officers approached him and instructed him to shut off his engine, which he said he did. A United States Coast Guard logo is displayed on a rescue boat on September 28, 2024 in San Diego, California. A United States Coast Guard logo is displayed on a rescue boat on September 28, 2024 in San Diego, to Lallemand, the three officers then told him he had crossed into American waters. He denied this, saying he has fished in that area for years. According to his account, as per CTV News, a visibly emotional Lallemand said he told the officers, "No, I'm very sorry, I'm in Canada. I'm polite enough to talk to you guys but you cannot arrest me. 'You can't come across the border and pick me up.' But they did," he said. Lallemand said he restarted his engine and suggested continuing the conversation with the officers near the shore. However, the Coast Guard followed him and attempted to steer him into U.S. waters, which he claims led his boat to capsize. Speaking to CTV News, he appeared to be angry and shocked about what happened, saying that he fell into the water and was "drowning" before eventually being pulled out by the officers, who he said were not taking care of him. Quebec man warning Canadian boaters after he was detained by U.S. Coast guard, put in jail cell — CTV News (@CTVNews) July 24, 2025 "The first time I went down, coming up with water in my mouth, spitting it out, I said 'throw me a buoy!'" he said. He was then handcuffed, processed, and turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, where he says officers fingerprinted him, placed him in a jail cell while he was still soaked, and gave him what he described as a "dirty" blanket. Lallemand is reported to have been held in a jail cell for nearly two hours before being released. His wife, Darlene Fielding, said, as per CTV News, "we treat our pets better than they treated him," adding that upon her husband's return, he was "like a beaten man." Customs regulations on Lake Champlain involve specific reporting requirements for boaters, especially those crossing the border, and potential enforcement actions for violations. CBP has designated reporting locations and procedures, including the possibility of phone-in reporting, to facilitate border crossings while ensuring compliance. The Coast Guard maintains that Lallemand was approximately 65 yards inside U.S. waters and struck their vessel while attempting to flee, leading to the capsize. What People Are Saying The U.S. Coast Guard, in a statement to CTV News: "While the Coast Guard's 29-ft response small-boat was alongside the vessel, the operator put the vessel in motion and ignored commands to maintain course and speed for boarding purposes. The vessel then made an abrupt starboard turn and struck the port bow of the Coast Guard small-boat at coordinates 45°00.792'N, 073°10.608'W, approximately 65 yards south of the U.S./Canadian border. The collision caused the vessel to capsize, putting the operator in the water." What Happens Next Lallemand said he would like an apology from the U.S. Coast Guard and has warned other Canadian boaters to stay away from the border. The U.S. Coast Guard has said that "the actions of the operator of the Canadian vessel are currently under investigation." The incident will likely lead to calls for clearer agreements on maritime enforcement and cooperation along the U.S.-Canada border, with officials possibly looking into better GPS boundary marking and improved communication procedures to prevent future confrontations.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
US Coast Guard accused of detaining fisherman in Canadian waters and tossing him in jail
A Canadian man claims he was arrested by the United States Coast Guard and turned over to Border Patrol after he was accused of fishing in American waters, which he denies. Edouard Lallemand, 60, borrowed a friend's boat on Sunday, July 20, to go fishing about nine miles north of the border separating the two countries on the northern tip of Lake Champlain. He claims that despite having fished the area for decades and being certain he had not crossed the border, the Coast Guard approached him and said he was in the United States. 'I said, 'No, I'm very sorry, I'm in Canada.' And I said, 'I'm polite enough to talk to you guys but you cannot arrest me. You can't come across the border and pick me up.' But they did,' he told CTV News. He attempted to restart his boat engine - having turned it off initially at their request - when he claims the Coast Guard started to push him into the United States until it capsized and he fell overboard. Lallemand claims the Coast Guard tried to tie their boat to his and didn't bother to try and help him. 'The third time I went down, coming out with water in my mouth, spitting it out, I said, 'Throw me a buoy!' He added that when the Coast Guard arrested him, he'd never seen somebody 'so angry.' Lallemand said that he was transferred by the Coast Guard to Border Patrol, who took his fingerprints and put him in jail with just a 'dirty' blanket. He was released about two hours after being put in jail but he said: 'I'm never going to be the same.' 'I want the people to know and to be aware: stay away from the border. Even if it's 500, 600 feet from there.' His wife, Darlene Fielding, wrote an angry post on her Facebook page in English and Quebecois French, stating: 'What happened to my husband should NEVER happen again.' Fielding - who said that she and her husband 'treat our pets' better than Lallemand was treated - called the experience 'terrifying' and told CTV her husband looked 'like a beaten man.' Lallemand had visible scrapes on his legs from the encounter. 'My husband was injured, traumatized, and stripped of his rights. We don't have the means to hire a lawyer, but we DO have the right to speak out,' she added in her Facebook post. The Coast Guard adamantly denies having approached Lallemand in Canadian waters in a statement, saying they were in American territory. 'While the Coast Guard's 29-ft response boat was alongside the vessel, the operator put the vessel in motion and ignored commands to maintain course and speed for boarding purposes,' they said. They then said that when Lallemand restarted his boat, he hit their vessel. 'The vessel then made an abrupt starboard turn and struck the port bow of the Coast Guard small-boat at coordinates 45°00.792'N, 073°10.608'W, approximately 65 yards south of the U.S./Canadian border. The collision caused the vessel to capsize, putting the operator in the water,' the statement reads. 'The actions of the operator of the Canadian vessel are currently under investigation,' they added. has reached out to U.S. Border Patrol for comment. It's yet another example of tensions between the United States and Canada, formerly close allies. The relationship has been strained in recent months by political rhetoric and cross-border air quality concerns linked to Canada's record-breaking wildfires. Earlier this month, Donald Trump threw a grenade on the tariff negotiations between the United States and Canada with a blistering letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney. The two nations had been trying to settle the tariff war that broke out when Trump returned to office and announced plans to reorganize world trade. Canadian officials had hoped a deal was close, but Trump's latest letter - which he shared to Truth Social on Thursday night - set negotiations back to square one. The letter revealed he would raise tariffs on Canadian products to 35 percent from August 1 - a 10 percent increase on the current levy. Trump said the tariff hike was in part due to the fentanyl crisis and Canada's 'failure to stop the drugs from pouring into our country '. 'I must mention that the flow of fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many tariff, and non-tariff, policies and trade barriers,' Trump wrote in the letter. Carney, who took office this year in a liberal win partly powered by Trump's trade actions and threats to make Canada the 51st state, his back in an online posting. 'Throughout the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses,' Carney wrote. 'We will continue to do so as we work towards the revised deadline of August 1. Canada has made vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl in North America. We are committed to continuing to work with the United States to save lives and protect communities in both our countries. That came after Trump mentioned fentanyl in his trade letter, and called out Canada for a 'failure' to control it. 'If Canada works with me to stop the flow of fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter,' Trump added. 'These tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with your country,' he added. The latest round of tariffs are in addition to previously imposed sectoral tariffs on steel, copper and aluminum, which came into effect for most countries on June 4 at a whopping 50 percent. The latest travel advisory follows years of quietly simmering friction that boiled over earlier this year when President Trump repeatedly mocked former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to Canada as America's '51st state,' and demoting Trudeau to the title of 'governor.' The introduction of tariffs between the two countries and Trump's hardline immigration policies have also seen Canadian travel to the US plunge by up to 40 percent this spring, as stories of tourists caught in the web of US immigration enforcement made headlines across the border. In response to the spike in travel-related incidents, the Canadian government has since revised its own advisory for citizens visiting the US, bluntly stating that travelers must 'comply and be forthcoming in all interactions with border authorities' and warning that visitors 'could be detained while awaiting deportation.' Last month the US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra attempted to tamp down concerns, calling the fears 'unfounded' and the high-profile detentions 'isolated.'
CTV News
7 days ago
- CTV News
Quebec man warning Canadian boaters after he was detained by U.S. Coast guard, put in jail cell
A Quebec man says he is outraged after the U.S. Coast Guard accused him of fishing in American waters and then arrested him. A Quebec man says he is outraged after the U.S. Coast Guard accused him of fishing in American waters and then arrested him before putting him in a jail cell for nearly two hours. Edouard Lallemand, 60, said he nearly drowned during the ordeal last Sunday afternoon after the Coast Guard's boat 'pushed' his boat, causing it to capsize. Days after the incident, he's still shaken up. 'I'm never going to be the same,' he told CTV News. Edouard Lallemand Edouard Lallemand and his wife, Darlene Fielding. (Matt Grillo/CTV News) Lallemand said he borrowed his friend's boat and was fishing near Venise-en-Québec, which is roughly 15 kilometres north of the U.S. border at the northern tip of Lake Champlain. He says he has been fishing for decades and is adamant that he was in Canadian waters when the Coast Guard showed up and told him to turn off his engine, to which he complied. The three officers told him he was in U.S. territory. 'I said, 'No, I'm very sorry, I'm in Canada.' And I said I'm polite enough to talk to you guys but you cannot arrest me. 'You can't come across the border and pick me up' but they did,' he recalled. Lallemand started his engine and said he wanted to talk with the officers by the shore, but the Coast Guard followed and tried to push him into the U.S., which is what caused him to go overboard. Edouard Lallemand The boat Edouard Lallemand was driving at the time was damaged and filled with seaweed after it capsized. (Submitted) 'They're tying my boat to their boat. They're not even taking care of me. The third time I went down, coming out with water in my mouth, spitting it out, I said throw me a buoy,' he said. Once on their vessel, he said he was aggressively put in handcuffs. 'I never saw somebody so angry,' he said. He was then handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, who fingerprinted him, put him in a jail cell with his clothes soaking wet, and gave him a 'dirty' blanket. Edouard Lallemand Edouard Lallemand says he had scrapes from his arrest by U.S. Coast Guard officers. (Submitted) 'I said are you arresting me? No sir you're detained. I said detained for what? I said you aggressed me. I didn't do nothing to you guys, I didn't even hit you guys,' he recalled. The U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement to CTV News that Lallemand was 'in U.S. Customs waters' when they approached him on July 20 at about 5:30 p.m. 'While the Coast Guard's 29-ft response boat-small was alongside the vessel, the operator put the vessel in motion and ignored commands to maintain course and speed for boarding purposes. The vessel then made an abrupt starboard turn and struck the port bow of the Coast Guard small-boat at coordinates 45°00.792'N, 073°10.608'W, approximately 65 yards south of the U.S./Canadian border. The collision caused the vessel to capsize, putting the operator in the water," the statement reads. 'The actions of the operator of the Canadian vessel are currently under investigation.' Lallemand was released after nearly two hours and reunited with his wife, Darlene Fielding. 'It's when I saw him come from the Canadian customs and he was flabbergasted. I've never seen him like that. We've been together a very long time. He's like a beaten man,' she said. 'We treat our pets better than they treated him.' Lallemand came home with some scrapes and said he would like an apology from the U.S. Coast Guard. He also has a warning for other Canadian boaters. 'I want the people to know and to be aware: stay away from the border,' he said. 'Even if it's 500, 600 feet from there.'
