TORONTO — The first female soldier to flee the U.S. military for Canada to avoid the war in Iraq has been ordered deported, a spokeswoman for the War Resisters Support Campaign said Thursday.
Michelle Robidoux said Citizenship and Immigration Canada has ordered Kimberly Rivera to leave the country by Sept. 20.
Robidoux said Rivera was meeting with her lawyers Thursday to determine her course of action and was unavailable to comment on the deportation order.
“We are very upset about this decision,” said Robidoux. “The cases of war resisters are not being looked at properly. (Immigration Minister Jason) Kenney continues to intervene by telling immigration officers to red flag US soldiers who are applying for asylum as criminally inadmissible. We think that has tainted the whole process and the government should withdraw that directive.”
Robidoux said they will likely call on Kenney to grant the family humanitarian and compassionate consideration and allow them to stay.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada did not immediately return calls for comment.
Rivera, 30, an Army private, served in Iraq in 2006. She said she became disillusioned with the mission. She crossed the border into Canada while on leave in February 2007, after she was ordered to serve another tour there.
Rivera's lawyers have argued in Canada's federal court that their client would likely face a court martial and jail time, possibly up to five years, if deported.
