Two Democratic lawmakers are questioning Trump officials about why a retired Canadian citizen was required to submit a DNA sample under the threat of jail time before being denied entry across the Blue Water Bridge at Port Huron, Michigan.
Kevin Larson, 68, of Kincardine, Ontario, has no known criminal record but was not allowed to cross the border into Michigan to attend a No Kings protest on October 18, 2025.
On that October morning, Larson, a retired power plant health physicist who taught radiation safety, had printed a map to the site of a No Kings rally in Port Huron, where he said he wanted to attend to let Americans know “we care about you guys.”
The Customs and Border patrol agent on the bridge that morning asked if he had any signs with him. Larsen said he only had a Canadian flag in the back that he had received permission to bring. The CBP agent then told he was flagged for a random check and should pull over to the CBP building.
Inside the building, Larson signed a document attesting that he would not provide assistance to terrorists. Agents searched his phone, fingerprinted him and took his picture. He was never told he was being arrested, investigated for a crime, or told he had broken any laws. Then they wanted a DNA sample through a cheek swab, and he initially denied the request.
He was then told he could face a year in prison if he refused.
Larson was denied entry after three hours.
“I talked to the one main officer that I was working with, and I said: Why is this all happening?” Larson added. “He said ― and I wrote it down ― You are being denied entry ‘due to the nature of your planned activity.'”
However, the document he was given and sent home with stated his denial of entry was based on “insufficient evidence provided for intended purpose of entry to the U.S.”
The agents listened to his story, and saw the paperwork from the No Kings email instructions and a map to the site. The agents also said Larson had no documentation with him, but he showed them his Canadian passport.
Larson sent letters to Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, both of Michigan’s U.S. senators, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Rep. Debbie Dingell and Rep. Jamie Raskin sent a letter on Tuesday to Trump officials — Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio, and Markwayne Mullin.
“You may not have heard, but Canada is our major trading partner, our friend, our neighbor, and one of our strongest allies in defending democratic freedom around the world against fascism and authoritarianism,” Dingell and Raskin wrote.
Larson also said he has entered the U.S. three or four times a year, and has a cousin in Georgia he visited regularly. He didn’t want to be banned from entering the U.S., but won’t be crossing again until something changes.
“This is so hurtful, what’s going on,” Larson said. “They’ll flag me every time. My wife and I have decided we’re not going into the states anymore. It’s just getting too scary.”