U.S. Woman Deserter Ordered to Leave Canada

U.S. Woman Deserter Ordered to Leave Canada
By Paola Loriggio

The first female U.S. Iraq war resister to seek refuge in Canada has been ordered to leave the country before the end of the month or face deportation.

Kimberley Rivera, who served in Iraq in 2006 and fled to Canada in 2007 after refusing redeployment, was told this morning she has until Jan. 27 to return to the U.S., said Michelle Rubidoux of the War Resisters Support Campaign."It's ridiculous," said Rubidoux, who accompanied Rivera to her hearing at the Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre on Airport Road.

The decision will force Rivera to uproot her family – her husband Mario and their three children, including their newborn daughter, six-week-old Katie – from their Toronto home. In the U.S., she would also face jail, as desertion is considered a felony.

Coming to Canada began a new chapter filled with opportunities and hope for my family," Rivera said in a statement released before this morning's decision. "I am just glad I get to be a mom again."

Lee Zaslofsky, a spokesperson for the war resisters group, criticized the government's track record of deporting Iraq war resisters."During the last election campaign, Prime Minister Stephen Harper acknowledged the Iraq war was 'absolutely an error'," Zaslofsky said in a statement.

"He should support the troops who came to the same conclusion, rather than sending them and their families back to the U.S. to be punished."

Roughly 200 American war resisters are believed to be living in Canada at this time. A handful have been ordered to leave, and await court rulings to determine whether they can appeal the orders.

In July 2008, Robin Long, another soldier who fled the U.S. to avoid fighting in Iraq, was kicked out of Canada and is now serving a 15-month prison term in California.

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/562982