American border guards placed an Australian man in handcuffs and hauled him to a detention centre after he allegedly breached his visa conditions by just one hour.

Baxter Reid, 26, from Sydney, was in the US on a five-year visa but to keep his document valid had to leave and re-enter the country every six months. On his first attempt to comply with these rules with a trip to Canada, it is claimed he was questioned by Canadian border control for several hours, causing him to stay in America illegally for just over an hour.

Baxter Reid's fund for legal fees as of Tuesday morning Credit: Hugh Morris

“This is where all the real problems began; they threw Baxter in cuffs and escorted him to prison,” wrote Mr Reid’s girlfriend, Heather Kansco, who has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for his legal fees.

“As we approached the border, the people working border control started giving us a bit of a hard time,” she said. “They spent hours asking us remedial questions and giving us the run around, with hours of dead time in between.”

Telegraph logo This video content is no longer available To watch The Telegraph's latest video content please visit youtube.com/telegraph

Kansco, who is American, said that the incident will “make a criminal out of an innocent man… because of bureaucracy and an unwillingness to listen to him”. The couple are currently considering their legal options, which, Kansco says, include returning to Australia or getting married in the US.

“Without this legal support, he will be sent back to Australia not only actually in cuffs, but as a criminal not being allowed to reenter the US,” she said.

The campaign on GoFundMe has raised nearly $7,000 (£5,430) in two days, with a goal of $8,000.

Reid has been detained by US border control Credit: Erik S. Lesser

Reid has not been charged but was reportedly being held at the federal detention centre in Buffalo, New York. Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said it is providing consular assistance to a man detained in the US but could not add any further details.

Alexander Reid, Baxter’s older brother, told ABC that Canadian officials were reluctant to let Baxter across the border as his visa was so close to expiring.

“He’s just an easygoing guy who has been travelling with his girlfriend and now he’s locked up and doesn’t know what’s happening.”

Baxter’s father Tom Reid said that his son faces a wait of up to three weeks for a court appearance date and may not see a judge for another six months.

It is believed that Reid might not have been able to reenter the US if he left the country for Canada as such a journey is not deemed a “meaningful exit”, unlike flying to South American or Europe.

In March the Telegraph reported a sharp rise in the number of US citizens being turned away at the Canadian border, at the same time as a surge in the number of refugees trying to gain entry into Canada in the wake of Donald Trump’s election.