US government blocks Canadian access to border-straddling library

US authorities said on Friday 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 is located between the towns of Stanstead, Quebec and Derby Line, Vermont. It has 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 were able to enter using the sidewalk and entrance on the American side but were encouraged to bring documentation, according to the library’s website.

Under the new rules, Canadians would need to go through a formal border crossing before entering the library.

“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,” the town of Stanstead said in a press release Thursday.

US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to queries posed Friday.

In a statement to Reuters, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the US was responding to drug trafficking.

“Drug traffickers and smugglers were exploiting the fact that Canadians could use the US entrance without going through customs. We are ending such exploitation by criminals and protecting Americans,” the statement said.

The Department provided no evidence of drug trafficking or smuggling and did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

Relations between the United States and Canada, long-time allies, have deteriorated since US President Donald Trump threatened to annex Canada as the 51st state and imposed tariffs.

The library is a relic of a time when Americans and Canadians could cross the border with simply a nod and a wave at border agents, residents say. It was the gift of a local family in the early 1900s to serve the nearby Canadian and American communities.

A small group of American 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 said on X.