ICE Visitation
Less than two months after President Trump’s second inauguration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrived in Peterborough.
Around 11 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 24, ICE agents conducted a search of Mi Jalisco Mexican Restaurant in the Peterborough Shopping Plaza. The officers were looking for the restaurant’s chef, but he wasn’t there co-owner, Genaro Quezada said.
“The chef has been working here for three or four years. We’re working people. Everything is legal,” Quezada said.
Peterborough Police Chief Scott Guinard confirmed the department was aware ICE and Drug Enforcement Administration officers would be in town, but could not comment on the specifics of the operation.
“We did not take part in it,” he said.
Inquiries to the ICE field office in Manchester were referred to the national ICE press office, which could not be reached for comment.
No Kings Rally
Weeks later, on April 19, more than 300 people gathered at the Peterborough stoplights as part of a nationwide “No Kings Day” rally to protest actions by the Trump Administration. The date was chosen to fall in line with the 250th anniversary of “the shot heard ‘round the world” that sparked the American Revolution.
Since then, pro-democracy rallies have been held in the same locations most Saturdays from 1 to 2 p.m.
Stop at the Border
Beyond ICE and “No Kings” protests, Peterborough news extended all the way to the nation’s northern border.
Peterborough resident Christopher Landry, 46, was turned back July 6 at a port of entry in Maine after a routine visit with family in New Brunswick, Canada. He said federal immigration officers told him he was denied re-entry because of misdemeanor drug offenses on his record that dated back about 20 years.
A Cheshire County Superior Court judge moved to vacate the marijuana-related convictions. Landry’s attorney, Ron Abramson, and an attorney for the state both said Landry likely didn’t know there would be immigration consequences when he pleaded guilty to the charges in the early 2000s.
New Hampshire’s rules of criminal procedure require that pleas be “knowing, intelligent and voluntary.”
Though he holds a green card, he previously told The Keene Sentinel he never pursued citizenship because there never seemed to be a reason to do so.
In 2004, he was charged with possession of marijuana stemming from the discovery of marijuana residue on a pipe, he said in the affidavit. Three years later, he faced a similar possession charge, this time for less than a quarter ounce of marijuana, he said.
Judge Anne Edwards granted a proposed order vacating the convictions after hearing from both attorneys.
After being stuck in Canada for nearly a month, Landry returned home to his partner and five children in Peterborough at the end of July.
Water Treatment Plant
This summer, Jaffrey and Peterborough officially opened the Rodney Bartlett Water Treatment Facility at Cold Stone Springs on Thursday, Aug. 21. The facility is on Chamberlain Road in Jaffrey.
“As far as we know, this project is the first of its kind in New England, where it is jointly owned by two towns, and was purchased, designed and developed by two towns, the town of Jaffrey and the town of Peterborough,” said Peterborough Town Administrator Seth MacLean.
“Hundreds of people helped with this project over the past seven years. From site workers to people who were signing checks all over the state, and I want to sincerely thank each and every one of them, including people I did not get a chance to name,” MacLean said.
Peter Pitsas of Underwood Engineering said, “Not only will it supply each town, it is an emergency source of water for each town, so that is very important. Jaffrey is higher elevation, so it can send water to Peterborough with the pressure, but Peterborough can also send water to Jaffrey in an emergency.”
Affordable Housing
To address the state housing shortage, Peterborough saw a new affordable housing development built on Vose Farm Road.
Vose Farm Residences is a collaboration between Catholic Charities NH and the town of Peterborough. Down the road from the former Eastern Mountain Sports location, Phase I consists of 64 units, 59 of which will be designated as affordable. The proposal defines this as a rent cap of 30% of 80% of area median income. Another 12 units are designated for under 50% of AMI, which will be known as voucher-based units.
Phase I includes 24 one-bedroom and 40 two-bedroom units. According to Jeff Lefkovich, executive director of real estate and affordable housing development for Catholic Charities NH, units will be kept at the affordable level for 40 years. Phase I is expected to be completed this winter, with move-ins anticipated in late December or early January.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the AMI by household between 2019 and 2023 averaged $97,319.
To help the project along, last summer Catholic Charities received $625,000 in tax credits from the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority to help fund construction.
See the original stories:
ICE in Peterborough:
https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/02/25/ice-in-peterborough-59628994/
No Kings in Peterborough:
https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/04/21/no-kings-in-peterborough-60747470/
Peterborough Resident Stopped at Border:
https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/07/29/marijuana-convictions-vacated-peterborough-man/
Water Treatment Facility:
https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/08/25/jaffrey-peterborough-water-facility/
Affordable Housing Development: