For more than 100 years, people in Stanstead, Que., have been able to walk into Derby Line, Vt., to enter the border-straddling Haskell Free Library and Opera House – no passport required.
But municipal and library officials said on Friday that U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to end the century-old unwritten agreement. Coming at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries, the decision is prompting an outpouring of emotion in communities on both sides of the border, which in places has been marked simply by flower pots.
Inside the library celebrated as a symbol of international friendship, Pauline Lussier and Chris Blais put their arms around each other's shoulders Friday as they stood on either side of the line taped down the floor marking the border. Lussier, a Canadian, and Blais, an American met for the first time that day.
"A line doesn’t separate us, it never has," said Blais, who held an American flag in her hands while Lussier held a Canadian one.
"Our kids have gone back and forth over this border without any problem at all ... this is all going to change now, and there's no reason for this," Blais added.
Once inside the library, Canadian and American citizens have been able to mingle freely across the border line drawn on the floor – as long as they return to the proper country afterward. In 2016, then-president Barack Obama hailed the symbolic importance of the library, built in 1901. "A resident of one of these border towns once said, 'We're two different countries, but we’re like one big town,'" Obama said.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that the divide is about to become more pronounced. Starting in the coming days, only library card holders and employees will be able to cross over from Canada to enter the building through the main door on the U.S. side.
And as of Oct. 1, no Canadians will be able to enter the library via the United States without going through the border checkpoint, though there will be exceptions for law enforcement, emergency services, mail delivery, official workers and those with disabilities.
The statement acknowledged the library as a "unique landmark," but said the border agency was phasing in a new approach for security reasons.
"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," the agency said in a statement. "However, during that time, this area has witnessed a continued rise in illicit cross-border activity."
It noted there have been a number of incidents in and around the library that resulted in apprehensions in recent years, including a person attempting to smuggle firearms in the past year.
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 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.
"No matter what this administration does, it will not change the fact that Stanstead and Derby Line are partners and friends forever," he said. "We have too many reasons to cherish our relationship and it’s not one man that will change that."
Several residents, some in tears, gathered at the border to denounce the decision. Penny Thomas stood on the American side, holding up a sign with a maple leaf on it that said "Keep Haskell open."
"I'm here to say that not all Americans think Canadians should be punished for who they are," Thomas said, with tears welling in her eyes. "Canadians have a right to go to the library."
In February, the Boston Globe reported that the 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.
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 U.S. Border Patrol and RCMP would monitor movements and could request to see identification.
Local Liberal MP Marie-Claude Bibeau, who is not running for re-election, said Friday that the government is looking at ways to support the library. "Our border community is strong and this will only further our strength and our ties," she said.
