US authorities on Friday said they are closing Canadian access to a library straddling the Canada-US border, drawing criticism from a Quebec town where people have long enjoyed easy entry to the space.
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, between the towns of Stanstead, Quebec, and Derby Line, Vermont, have become a symbol of cross-border unity and cooperation as well as an opportunity for separated families to unite.
The library’s entrance is on the Vermont side. Previously, Canadian visitors could enter using the sidewalk and entrance on the US side, but were encouraged to bring documentation, the library’s Web site said.
Photo: AP
Under the new rules, Canadians would need to go through a formal border crossing before entering.
Until Oct. 1, library members would be able to use the sidewalk with proof of membership, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson said.
After Oct. 1, everyone from Canada must enter via a formal border crossing. Exceptions include school visits and people with disabilities.
Photo: AP
“This closure not only compromises Canadian visitors’ access to a historic symbol of cooperation and harmony between the two countries but also weakens the spirit of cross-border collaboration that defines this iconic location,” Stanstead said in a news release.
Relations between the US and Canada, long-time allies, have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump threatened to annex Canada as the 51st state and imposed tariffs.
The CBP spokesperson said the area has witnessed a “continued rise in illicit cross-border activity,” but the agency did not specify the nature of the illicit activity.
Photo: Reuters
CBP data showed that US authorities appear to be detaining fewer people than they were a year ago.
Since the start of the fiscal year in October last year, 21 people have been apprehended near the library, versus 147 apprehensions in the entire previous fiscal year.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the US was responding to drug trafficking, but provided no evidence of drug trafficking or smuggling.
The library is a relic of a time when the US and Canadians could cross the border with simply a nod and a wave at border agents, residents said.
It was the gift of a local family in the early 1900s to serve the nearby Canadian and US communities.
Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone said he is disappointed more than anything.
“Disappointed that we have to change something that’s been a certain way for over 100 years. Disappointed in the sense that there’s no reason, other than control, for having to do this,” he said.
Stone said the library is working to renovate an entrance on the Canadian side.
A small group of US and Canadian protesters gathered outside on Friday.
US Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat from Vermont, called reports of the closure troubling.
“Vermont loves Canada. This shared cultural institution celebrates a partnership between our two nations,” Welch wrote on X.
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