The town of Stanstead, Que., says U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to “close the main Canadian access” to the Victorian-style library that straddles the border between the two countries.
For decades, Canadian visitors to the town had been able to walk across the border into Derby Line, Vt., to enter the Haskell Free Library and Opera House without having to cross a checkpoint or show a passport. That custom is now ending, the town said in a news release.
“This closure not only compromises Canadians visitors’ access to a historic symbol of co-operation and harmony between the two countries but also weakens the spirit of cross-border collaboration that defines this iconic location,” wrote the town, which added that “significant infrastructure adjustments” would be needed to comply with the new rules.
Once inside the library, Canadian and American citizens mingle freely across the border line drawn on the floor — as long as they return to the proper country afterward.
The library says on its Facebook page that Canadian patrons must now show a library card to access the building from the U.S. side. It adds that it has opened a door on the Canadian side for visitors as well as those who have forgotten their cards.
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Library and town officials will hold a news conference alongside Liberal MP Marie-Claude Bibeau later in the day to address the changes.
The library, built in 1901, was referenced by former U.S. President Barack Obama during ex-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s 2016 visit to the White House as a place where Americans and Canadians come together, “where the border line literally runs right across the floor.”
“A resident of one of these border towns once said, ‘we’re two different countries, but we’re like one big town and people are always there for you,'” Obama said.
In February, the Boston Globe reported that the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, visited the library and repeated President Donald Trump’s taunts about making Canada the 51st state as she stepped back and forth across the line that marks the border.
According to the library’s website, Canadian visitors had been allowed to enter the library by the main entrance on the U.S. side. While passports or visas were not necessary, library officials had warned that US Border Patrol and RCMP would monitor movements and could request to see identification.
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