On Friday, the Trump administration announced it would limit Canadian access to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, which is located between Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec.
The library, which has a tape line marking the border inside, will no longer allow Canadians to enter directly from their side after October 1, 2025. Until then, Canadian library members can show their membership cards for entry, but after that date, they must use a formal border crossing.
The decision was made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is seeking to improve security along the northern border.
Historically, the library allowed casual crossings, but past incidents—like a 2018 case where a Canadian admitted to smuggling handguns through the bathroom—highlighted the need for this to change.
“Due to the library’s location, and convenience of local populations, CBP has allowed customers of the library to access its sidewalk, without inspection, for decades,” ICE said in a statement. “However, during that time, this area has witnessed a continued rise in illicit cross-border activity.”
The Associated Press reports:
Town and library officials say Canadian visitors without a library card will have to enter by a back door on the Canadian side, across a muddy stretch of grass. The library announced Friday that it was launching a GoFundMe to raise the estimated $100,000 Canadian (US$69,000) it will cost to build a sidewalk, new parking lot and wheelchair access.
Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone said the U.S. decision “makes no sense.” However, he said the decision from U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration would not affect the close bond between the communities, which share municipal services and facilities.
The report added that in February, “U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the library and repeated Trump’s taunts about making Canada the 51st state as she stepped back and forth across the line that marks the border.”
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