U.S. army war resister’s deportation sparks outrage
Petti Fong, Toronto Star
July 16, 2008
Vancouver–A U.S. army deserter who sought asylum in Canada because of his opposition to the Iraq war has become the first to be deported to the United States after being rejected for refugee status.
Robin Long, 25, was handed over to U.S. customs officials by Canadian Border Service Agency officers yesterday, one day after a federal court judge in Vancouver cleared the way for his removal.
Long has been in Canada since 2005, when he left his military base in Colorado Springs. He first went to Toronto, later making his way to the B.C. Interior, where he sought refugee status.
“We think this is outrageous and it flies in the face of what many Canadians believe in,” said Bob Ages, chair of the Vancouver War Resisters’ Support Campaign. “It’s clear that the tide is turning among Canadians in favour of giving war resisters asylum.”
…
Long, who enlisted when he was 19, said he had wanted to be in the army when he was growing up, but decided that he didn’t want to go to Iraq after talking to people who had been there.
“These people came back and were telling these horrific stories and our superiors were egging people on, some people were actually volunteering to go over there and it just seemed like justified homicide,” he said in the interview. “It didn’t sit right in my stomach. I morally couldn’t do it.”
Federal Court Justice Anne Mactavish said in a ruling released Monday that Long did not provide evidence he would suffer permanent harm if he is returned to the United States.
His lawyer, Shepherd Moss, declined to comment about the case yesterday.
Canada Border Service Agency spokesperson Shakila Manzoor said she could confirm a deportation did take place.
“Everyone ordered removed from Canada is entitled to due process,” said Manzoor. “Once appeals are exhausted, removal is effected.”
About a dozen protesters gathered at the Peace Arch border crossing between B.C. and Washington state yesterday but Long was handed over without incident.
Long’s next stop will be Fort Lewis, the military base in Seattle, after which he will be escorted to Fort Carson in Colorado.
Long’s commander, Col. Randy George, will have several choices in punishing Long, said Fort Carson spokesperson Karen Linne. Long could be placed in confinement, forced to return to duty, discharged from military service or face a court martial.
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