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Canadian teen arrested in Vermont trying to drive dad to airport
DERBY, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – U.S. Border Patrol arrested a father and son Thursday after they tried to use a historic library as a cover to cross into the country.
Reason Phung, 18, admitted to dropping his father Van Hoa Phung, 49, off at the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont. The library, which was built exactly on the Canada-U.S. border in 1904, has tightened restrictions on non-American visitors this year after pressure from the Trump administration. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol cited a rise in illicit activity as justification for the changes. Both Phungs are Canadian citizens.
According to court records, border patrol agents saw Van Hoa Phung walking south wearing a red shirt and shorts and crossing the border near the library at around 2:35 p.m. on June 5. He was then picked up in a car by his son, who had legally crossed the border on his own earlier.
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Reason Phung then drove his father south into Vermont, where their car, a red Tesla, was stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol in a parking lot in Derby. The two men were then taken into custody. The younger Phung had previously claimed that he was crossing the border to visit his grandparents, but he had in fact intended to drive his father to an unspecified airport in the U.S., then return to Canada.
Both the younger and the elder Phung pleaded guilty in court on Friday, and received sentences of time served for making false statements and illegally entering the U.S., respectively.
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While Canadians are still allowed to visit the library, they may no longer use the main entrance, which lies on the American side, without a pre-existing membership and library card. Instead, they must use a newly opened side entrance for international visitors. The library's website reminds patrons, 'International law requires you to exit through the same door you entered.'
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