Irish Man Jailed After Illegal Border Crossing at Haskell Library in Derby Line
An illegal immigrant from Ireland has been ordered jailed after he tried to unlawfully enter the United States at the historic Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line. Alexander Sule, 47, admitted that he had crossed the international border without checking into an approved Immigration checkpoint about 8:15 p.m. on April 13th. The Haskell building has been part of recent extensive international news coverage because of a crackdown by U.S. Immigration officials. The library and opera house straddle the border, and for many decades, patrons from both countries were allowed to mingle without worrying about immigration laws in either country. The U.S. government recently announced tighter restrictions as part of a national safety crackdown. The village of Derby Line has about 700 residents, while the adjoining town of Stanstead, Quebec, has about 3,000 residents. Sule was transported to the Border Patrol Station in Newport. An investigation showed Sule had no known criminal history and is detained at the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans.