Hot on Facebook

Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Canada to Deport US Deserter

Mother who fled to avoid Iraq could face years in jail on return to US

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 8, 2009 7:24 AM CST

(Newser) – The first woman soldier to flee to Canada to avoid serving in Iraq has been denied asylum, the Globe & Mail reports. Immigration officials told Kimberly Rivera, a mother of three, that she has until January 27 to leave the country or face deportation. Rivera served in Iraq in 2006 and went north the following year to avoid redeployment.

Rivera—whose youngest child was born in Canada 6 weeks ago—could face a court-martial and up to 5 years in jail if she returns to the US. Canada is moving at "shocking" speed to remove war resisters, said an organizer for a group supporting the estimated 200 still in the country. Canada's parliament passed a nonbinding measure last year urging asylum for conscientious objectors but it has been ignored by the ruling Conservative Party.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Kimberly Rivera fled to Canada from her Fort Carson, Colorado base to avoid redeployment to Iraq. (AP Photo)

Kimberly Rivera (Courage to Resist)

Canada has ordered a woman soldier who fled north to avoid going to Iraq to leave the country by the end of this month. (©paulhami)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

It's a pretty sad day for me and my family—I haven't really had a chance to soak it all in. We haven't gotten all of our bearings at the moment. Me and my husband will discuss our options and see what it is we can really do. - Kimberly Rivera

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Deserters Fleeing War Go North—Again

In Canada, AWOL troops join forces with Vietnam draft-dodgers

(NEWSER) - Iraq war deserters aren't crossing the Canadian border in VW buses, but they are trickling across—and connecting with Vietnam draft dodgers who made the same trek 4 decades ago. About 200 Iraq resisters have migrated north, the Washington Post reports. Some grew disillusioned in Baghdad; others went AWOL from boot camp. And both generations are lobbying the Canadian government to let the younger ones stay. More»

Army Deserter Seeks Asylum in Germany

AWOL soldier says Iraqi war violates international law

(NEWSER) - Specialist André Shepherd has become the first US military deserter to apply for political asylum in Germany, Der Spiegel reports. Shepherd, who disobeyed orders to redeploy to Iraq from Germany in the spring of 2007, argues in his petition that the Iraq war violates international law. "If I carried out my orders, it would make me a criminal," said the 31-year-old Cleveland native. More»

Canadian Court Sends Deserter Back to US

Judge rejects American soldier's plea to avoid deportation

(AP) - Canada's federal court ruled yesterday that an American army deserter can be deported to the US, rejecting his request for a stay to the order. The judge said that Robin Long did not provide clear and convincing evidence that he will suffer irreparable harm if he is returned to the US. Long, 25, fled to Canada in 2005 to avoid serving in Iraq. More»

One US Army Reservist Still Missing in Iraq

Iraqi-born Ahmed Kousay Altaie reportedly kidnapped in 2006

(NEWSER) - The end of the war in Iraq prompts the Army Times to note that one—and only one—American serviceman remains missing despite a five-year search. Ahmed Kousay Altaie was reportedly kidnapped in 2006, and the Pentagon says his case will remain open until he is found. Altaie's case has a few unusual wrinkles: He was actually born in Iraq but fled to the US with his family in the 1970s to Dearborn, Michigan. He joined the Reserves in 2004 and shipped out to his native country in 2005. More»

The Last American Killed in Iraq

David Hickman, 23, was last of some 4,500 to die

(NEWSER) - On Nov. 14, just a month before the final US troops left Iraq, a 23-year-old soldier lost his life to an improvised explosive device. David Emanuel Hickman was the last American to be killed in a war that cost some 4,500 Americans their lives, the AP reports. With the US mission over, his family and friends are remembering him as a jokester with the nickname "Zeus" (because, he playfully said, his physique was so impressive the gods would be envious); as an outside linebacker who was the linchpin of a defense so complicated his high school had to scrap it after he graduated because no other teen could figure it out; as someone with a goal of one day joining the Special Forces, and who, in the words of a friend, "didn’t sign up to get his life on track. He wanted to be a physically and mentally elite soldier." More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Canada to Deport US Deserter