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U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied a British Dartmouth student reentry and refused for weeks to explain why

On August 2, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection denied British citizen and Dartmouth College sophomore Taha Tariq reentry to the United States at the Derby Line, Vermont border crossing, while the three American classmates traveling with him were admitted within hours. CBP told The Dartmouth only that Tariq underwent "additional inspection" and was found inadmissible, and in two subsequent on-the-record statements over the following three weeks declined to say whether he had been issued an expedited removal order or to explain the basis for the denial. Tariq's attorney said CBP "lacked proper grounds to deny re-entry," and as of the most recent reporting Tariq remained stranded in Canada, finishing his summer coursework remotely.

Jurisdiction
Federal
Location
Derby Line, Vermont

Abuses documented

Actors

On August 2, 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped a car carrying four Dartmouth College sophomores, including British citizen Taha Tariq, at the Derby Line, Vermont border crossing as they returned from the Osheaga music festival in Montreal, a sophomore-summer tradition. Officers held the car for several hours before releasing the three American students; Tariq was denied reentry and has remained in Canada since, finishing his summer term coursework remotely.

CBP has not provided Tariq, Dartmouth, or the reporters covering the case with a specific legal basis for the denial. In an Aug. 24 written statement, a CBP spokesperson said Tariq "underwent additional inspection -- a routine part of CBP's inspection process when officers need to verify information or determine admissibility" and that, "following inspection, the traveler, a student, was determined to be inadmissible and was denied entry." Asked again on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26, CBP repeated only that admissibility determinations are made case-by-case and declined to say whether Tariq had been issued an expedited removal order -- a mechanism that allows CBP to remove a noncitizen without a hearing before an immigration judge -- or to identify any other basis for the decision. Tariq told The Dartmouth he was given such an order at the border but declined to provide the document for verification.

Richard Petty of Holland & Knight, overseeing media communications for Tariq's case, said in a statement that "based upon our initial analysis, we have concluded that Mr. Tariq should have been allowed to re-enter the United States on Sunday and that U.S. Customs and Border Protection lacked proper grounds to deny re-entry," and that the firm intended to "pursue the necessary legal remedies to establish his eligibility for prompt re-entry." Dartmouth said it secured Tariq an immigration attorney and accommodations in Canada while working to connect him with additional representation.

Why we recorded this

Due process requires that a person the government excludes from the country be told the legal basis for that decision. CBP denied a lawfully present student reentry at the border and then, across three weeks and two on-the-record statements, refused to say what specific ground it relied on -- declining even to confirm or deny whether it used the summary removal process that bypasses a hearing before an immigration judge. This archive records when the government exercises exclusionary power at the border while withholding the reasoned justification due process requires the person be able to contest.

Sources

  1. After 3 weeks, Customs and Border Protection declines to explain why Taha Tariq ’28 was denied reentry to U.S. — The Dartmouth primary accessed August 29, 2026
  2. British student denied reentry to U.S. after Montreal trip, reason unclear — The Dartmouth primary accessed August 29, 2026

See also