|
Quaid has been seeking permanent residency in Canada and has
been living with his wife Evi, a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen, in
Montreal for three years.
He said a Canada Border Services Agency officer arrested him
when he checked in with the agency on Tuesday morning. Quaid
said he has been checking in every two weeks since May as part
of the conditions set when his application for permanent
residency was rejected.
"I met every condition but they are saying 'you're not going to
leave if we tell you to leave,'" Quaid said in a telephone
interview from a detention center near Montreal.
A spokeswoman from CBSA would not confirm or deny the arrest.
Quaid had sought asylum in Canada in 2010, claiming that
business associates sought to harm him, but was arrested in
Vancouver in 2010 over what he said is an outstanding warrant
connected with a Santa Barbara property dispute.
He later dropped the asylum application and sought permanent
residency.
"We love Montreal. It has a great film scene. My wife is here,
she's Canadian, and we should be able to be together. We've been
married 26 years," Quaid said.
Quaid, 65, is known for movies such as "The Last Picture Show"
and "The Last Detail," for which he received an Oscar
nomination. He is the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid.
Quaid, a Texas native, and his wife were arrested in California
in 2010 on suspicion of burglary and entering a building without
consent.
Quaid said the building was their own home, after a failed
attempt to sell it. He said they still own the property.
Evi Quaid was also charged with failing to pay a bill at a
hotel, but she said in a phone interview she disputes both
charges.
"It's a property dispute. This should not be a criminal dispute
at all," Randy Quaid said.
The couple said they expect Canadian officials will try to
deport Randy Quaid, but that they would prefer to voluntarily
leave and re-apply for permanent residency from abroad.
"If I judge says we have to leave, we will leave ... I can't be
deported - that will screw up my ability to make films in other
countries," Quaid said.
(Reporting by Andrea Hopkins; Editing by David Gregorio and Lisa
Shumaker)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
