DERBY LINE, Vt. — Seven people were returned to Canada after they tried to get into the United States by driving through a lawn at a library that straddles the border between the two countries.
Video of the incident was shared by the chief patrol agent for the Swanton Sector.
The SUV was driving by the Haskell Free Library and Opera House near Derby Line, Vermont, on July 4, The Associated Press reported. The vehicle cut through the library’s yard to enter the U.S. and nearly hit another vehicle in the process.
The SUV was caught eventually and border patrol said the people inside, who were from Canada, France and Romania, were returned to Canada, the AP reported.
The library was founded in 1901 at that location so it could be accessible to both Americans and Canadians. The entrance is technically in Vermont, but Canadians are allowed to use it without having a customs post. The library has temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. But it does offer some mobile services with free delivery to people from a limited area in Canada, and currently offers both mobile and curbside pickup for residents of the U.S., according to the library website.