A library located on the border between the United States and Canada is facing new restrictions on movement due to the U.S. administration's moves to tighten border controls.
For over a hundred years, residents of Stansted, Quebec, Canada, could travel to Derby Line, Vermont, USA, to visit the Haskell Free Library and Opera House without a passport.
But on Friday, local officials and the library said the U.S. government had unilaterally decided to overturn the century-old unwritten agreement.
The decision, taken amid rising tensions between the two countries, has sparked outrage in communities on both sides of the border, which in some places is marked by simple flower pots.
On Friday, in a library that is considered a symbol of international friendship, Pauline Lucier and Chris Blais embraced each other, standing on either side of a line taped to the floor that marked the boundary.
That day, Ms. Lucier, a Canadian citizen, and Ms. Blais, a US citizen, met for the first time.
“There is no line between us, and there never was,” Ms. Blais said, holding an American flag and Ms. Lucier a Canadian one.
“Our children have crossed this border without any difficulty… now that will change and there is no reason for it to,” Ms Blais added.
After visiting the library, Canadian and US citizens can communicate freely, crossing the line drawn on the floor, provided that they return to their countries afterwards.
In 2016, then-President Barack Obama praised the symbolic significance of the library, which opened in 1901.
“A resident of one of these border towns once said, 'We are two different countries, but we are like one big city,'” Mr. Obama said.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman confirmed the gap would become even more noticeable.
In the coming days, only library card holders and staff will be able to cross the border from Canada and enter the building through the main entrance from the U.S. side.
As of October 1, no Canadian will be able to access a library through the United States without going through a border checkpoint, although exceptions will be made for law enforcement, emergency services, postal services, government officials and people with disabilities.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
