Haskell Free Library denounces ‘unilateral’ US move amid tensions over Donald Trump’s continued threats against Canada.

Montreal, Canada – US President Donald Trump’s administration is cutting off Canada’s main access point to a historical library that straddles the border between the Canadian province of Quebec and the US state of Vermont.

In a joint statement late on Thursday, the Quebec border town of Stanstead and the Haskell Free Library and Opera House said the United States had made the “unilateral decision to close the main Canadian access” to the building.

“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,” they said.

“Furthermore, it necessitates significant infrastructure adjustments to comply with new constraints.”

The move comes amid soaring tensions between the US and Canada over Trump’s repeated threats to annex his country’s northern neighbour, as well as the imposition of steep tariffs on Canadian goods.

“Reports of Trump closing off Canadians’ access to the Haskell Free Library & Opera House are troubling, and if true an escalation in his rhetoric against our neighbor & ally,” US Senator Peter Welch of Vermont said in a post on X.

“Vermont loves Canada. This shared cultural institution celebrates a partnership between our two nations.”

Reports of Trump closing off Canadians’ access to the Haskell Free Library & Opera House are troubling, and if true an escalation in his rhetoric against our neighbor & ally.

Vermont loves Canada. This shared cultural institution celebrates a partnership between our two nations.…

— Senator Peter Welch (@SenPeterWelch) March 21, 2025

First opened in 1905, a year after the Opera House, the Haskell Free Library was purposely constructed in both the US and Canada in a show of solidarity between residents of the then-porous border area.

The border bisects the building, and a line of black tape runs across the library’s main entrance hall and children’s reading room, delineating the dividing line.

The main entrance is on the US side of the frontier, and to get into the building, Canadians have been able to walk across the border via a sidewalk and head for the front door.

Passports are not required but the library tells visitors to expect their movements to be monitored and to carry identification.

In an email to Al Jazeera on Friday, a spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that the Trump administration was rolling out a new, “phased approach” to library access amid a “rise in illicit cross border activity”.

Until October 1, Haskell Free Library members from Canada will still be allowed to use the sidewalk to reach the building’s main entrance on the US side if they can prove their membership, the spokesperson said.

However, after that date, all Canadian visitors will need to cross into the US at a formal port of entry in order to access the library via the front door.

Amid Trump’s threats against Canada, in late January, US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem made an unannounced visit to the library.

Deborah Bishop, Haskell’s executive director, told Canadian outlet CTV News that Noem stood on the US side and said “USA number one” during a tour of the building.

“And then [she] crossed the line and said, ‘The 51st state’,” Bishop said, in reference to Trump’s continued push to make Canada into a US state.

“She did this on three occasions. There was no mention of Canada, just ‘the 51st state’,” Bishop told CTV, adding that the comments were poorly received by people at the library.

“We welcomed her with courtesy and respect, and I think she should have reacted in the same way. She was in Canada. I mean, when you step over that line, you are technically in Canada. So maybe be respectful towards the people in the room who are Canadian.”

Canadian leaders have rejected Trump’s push to annex the country, with Prime Minister Mark Carney last week calling the idea “crazy”.

Carney has said he is willing to meet with the Trump administration to discuss tariffs and other policies but only if Canada’s sovereignty is respected.