TORONTO (AP) — 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 that Citizenship and Immigration Canada has ordered Kimberly Rivera to leave the country by Sept. 20.
Robidoux said Rivera is meeting with her lawyers Thursday to determine her next 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 U.S. soldiers who are applying for asylum as criminally inadmissible. We think that has tainted the whole process.”
Robidoux said they will likely call on Kenney to grant the family humanitarian and compassionate consideration and allow them to stay.
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